jacki's journey

upcoming FUN

2008-06-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

david and i are going to see cheap trick at the hollywood bowl tomorrow night :)
and then janice is coming in on the 3rd for the 4th of july weekend....not sure what we'll do besides shopping on melrose...but i know whatever we do will be fun....it'll be great just to see her and hang out....

update - at katie's request ; )

2008-06-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

well, i think i've realized i'm not a frequent blogger...
i did start a myspace page but no real 'blogging' yet...i did post something about our recent visit to mom's early this month, though.

as far as updating and what's going on lately:
job is good--still doing insurance at daniel's office....my old co-worker, becky, is back---after several people that were NOT a fit for the office..this was her first week and it feels really good to have a smooth-running, positive-vibe office...

on a not so good note: a friend of mine's husband died recently from lung cancer after only knowing about it for 2 months...so i've been trying to be there for her...
another friend of mine is in the process of getting a divorce..
---all this is making me really appreciate all i have and i'm trying to enjoy every day with my family and not take anything for granted...

darian is now 'officially' a senior in high school! i can't believe my baby will be going off to college before TOO long :(
i think she wants to go to san francisco...either to sfsu or some art school there...not sure yet...she takes the SAT in october...

guess it's time for an update

2008-03-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

well, i haven't updated in a while but have had a couple people email me and ask if i was ok...so i thought i'd update.
over the Christmas holiday, i had some great conversations with my family about health and weight-loss, and long discussions with my sister-in-law, buffy, about running. (she is a marathon runner). i decided i would try it (even though i had NEVER jogged)....
i was going to keep it a secret and just surprise my family the next time i see them, but am feeling so great that i thought i would post about it.

since mid-january, i have been working out at Active Fitness, a boutique gym in santa monica and have been working with a personal trainer named jason...he's such a great motivator and has made me realize i am stronger (both physically and mentally) than i ever thought.

As of today, i have lost 16 lbs and lots of inches...i feel healthier now than probably ever...i am not yet a 'runner', but i do enjoy jogging on the treadmill and have gone from only being able to jog a few minutes to jogging a few miles at a time.

Happy Birthday, David!!

2007-12-07T21:16:00.000-08:00

today is david's 35th birthday :)

darian and i took him to the cheesecake factory for dinner and now we are watching VH1 Classic's
The 24 Hours of KISSMAS
david said VH1 is so thoughtful to play his favorite band's concerts and videos for him on his birthday....haha

happy birthday, honey.....
i love you

Goodbye

2007-12-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

'take care of my little david for me' was what shirley said to me before we said our goodbyes.....shirley, i will do my best....

the entry below was copied from david's blog:

My Aunt Shirley passed away very early Friday morning. All of us were able to travel to Arkansas in October to see her. We were able to spend time with family and say our final goodbyes. She was in good spirits and stood strong knowing she had little time to live. We knew this day was very near but it is still hard to know you will never get to share a new moment with them.

Aunt Shirley - We loved you dearly and we will miss you.

Shirley Rose Howard Litchford
(June 12, 1946 - November 30, 2007)

Graveside services for Mrs. Shirley Rose Howard Litchford will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 3, 2007 in the Rush Chapel, Glenmora with Reverend Gary Richerson officiating. Interment will follow in Amiable Cemetery, Glenmora under the direction of Rush Funeral Home, Oakdale.

Mrs. Litchford, 61, of Horatio, Arkansas entered eternal rest on Friday, November 30, 2007 in her residence.

Shirley became an educator late in her life and thoroughly enjoyed her new career. She attended the Horatio Assembly of God Church. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, wife, aunt, sister, daughter, cousin and friend. She leaves all of us too soon and will be greatly missed. Heaven has acquired its’ newest angel.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John Lois and Crecie Bond Howard; one sister, Judy; her paternal grandparents, James David Howard and Susan Adeline (Addie) Wiggins Howard and her maternal grandparents, Joe Vander Bond and Hattie Bond.

Survivors include her husband, Earl Litchford of Horatio, Arkansas and his children and grandchildren; her daughter, Donna Krissette Langford Kotler; her grandson, Greg McCarroll; her granddaughter, Katie Kotler; one brother, Billy Ray Howard, Sr. of Houston, Texas; her beloved nephews and niece, Billy Ray Howard, Jr. of Horatio, Arkansas, John Lee Howard of Florida, David Christopher Howard of Santa Monica, California and Lisa Erin Minor of Houston, Texas. She is also survived by former husband, Benny Langford; special sisters-in-law, Paulette Langford Nelson and Martha Anne Bonner (Howard) Pierson; aunts, Lucille Wiggins and Marlene Bonds Fergurson and many cousins. Her extended family and friends mourn her passing.

Friends may post online messages of condolence for the Litchford family by visiting www.rushfh.com

nice weekend

2007-11-21T18:26:00.000-08:00

even though janice's flight was late and we missed seeing vains of jenna saturday night, and that the jimmy kimmel taping was canceled so we didn't get to see duran duran on monday, we had a nice visit :)

sunday, martha and marvin were also in town and we all had a nice visit--did some shopping in hollywood, took martha by high voltage tattoo (aka LA Ink) so she could get some pictures and earn some "cool points" with her students ; ) and had a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant, with our favorite waiter....

on monday, darian was sick and stayed home from school, david spent time with martha and marvin (went to the grove), so janice and i ventured out to burbank----since we weren't going to see duran duran on jimmy kimmel, we thought maybe we could somehow get in on the ellen show taping they were doing...

we went to burbank to the NBC studios.....we weren't able to get tickets and did not see the guys, but we did see some of the writers on strike....janice wanted a picture with the strikers so we went over and asked if we could take a picture....they said, 'sure--pick up a sign and walk with us....we've been doing this for 2 wks and we're tired'......so janice picked up a sign and i took a picture......turns out, 2 of the strikers were tonight show writers...

we also saw people picketing in front of ellen's entrance.....while other shows have stopped taping because of the strike, ellen has continued taping using her own material.....
they were doing a military-type chant: 'ellen ain't no friend of mine (ellen ain't no friend of mine), she danced across our picket line (she danced across our picket line)....was kind of funny.....i understand why the writers are on strike, but boy, if janice and i could have gotten in to see duran duran, we would have happily walked into the ellen studio :)

martha and marvin flew out monday......so david, janice, and i went to el cholo for food and drinks monday night....we had fun......after visiting a while, i went to bed and janice and david spent a couple hours catching up and talking about music/bands.....

i took janice to the airport early tuesday morning.....was sad seeing her go, but i know we'll all see her again before too long....i can't believe Christmas is almost here!!

janice coming to cali

2007-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

janice is coming to town---originally coming in to see duran duran on jimmy kimmel monday....but due to writers strike, that has been canceled.....
we'll have to figure out what fun things we can do while she's here....we're bummed we won't get to see DD, but happy we'll get to see each other and hang out---that's always a good time :)

Homewalk

2007-11-17T16:36:00.000-08:00

this morning i participated in a 5k walk with about 4,000 others to help defeat homelessness in the los angeles area....i learned of this from church---6 of us walked.....it was the first annual homewalk and was a really good turnout...

there were signs with various facts and photos about the homeless in the area and one sign in particular really caught my eye...
it said "Los Angeles: entertainment capital of the world. Los Angeles: homeless capital of the nation"

Below is some information i got from www.homewalkla.org
Statistics
* There are more than 73,000 people who are homeless every night in LA County, and 152,000 over the course of a year.
* One in four people who are homeless in LA County each night are in families.
* There are 13,521 homeless students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, a 35 percent increase in just the last year.
* Veterans are twice as likely to become homeless as the general population.
* About a third of the homeless population in LA County are chronically homeless, compared to an estimated 23% across the U.S.
* 15% of the 13,000 people released from jail in LA County each month are at risk of becoming homeless right after release.
* More than 8 in 10 of persons who are homeless in LA County every night are not sheltered.
* 6 in 10 of the homeless at any one time have been homeless for less than a year.
* The most commonly cited reasons for becoming homeless in LA County are losing a job, followed by eviction.
* About a quarter of the homeless persons in LA County have at least some college education.

"HomeWalk is a non-competitive 5K walk in support of the A Pathway Home initiative helping to end homelessness. United Way of Greater Los Angeles in partnership with The Fannie Mae Foundation has collaborated with PATH Partners to back this initiative providing resources for existing efforts to address homelessness. We don’t need a whole new “plan” to solve the problem of homelessness—we need a grass-roots mobilization to engage the community through advocacy and volunteerism; build a stronger system of care by increasing resources to homeless agencies and helping them link services with permanent housing; and bring private and public sectors together to get more involved."

weigh in

2007-11-05T22:01:00.000-08:00

as of tonight, i have lost a total of 6.5 lbs :)

this week's weigh in

2007-10-30T01:06:00.000-07:00

i went for my weekly weigh in and have lost another 2 lbs....
so, overall 4 lbs in 3 weeks....they say 1-2 lbs per week is good...so i guess i'm right on track :)
yay!!

duran duran on jimmy kimmel

2007-10-25T03:17:00.000-07:00

11/19, duran duran will be performing an outdoor mini-concert on the jimmy kimmel show.
one of the perks of living in the los angeles area is that i can go to these things for free (just like when jen and i saw the bravery/jimmy kimmel show a few months back)...
i think jen and janice will be flying in for the show...it'll be good to visit with the girls....and hopefully fun to see the guys play again.

yahweh yoga

2007-10-25T03:06:00.000-07:00

my friend, jen, in az, told me about yahweh yoga--a Christ-based yoga class in chandler, where she lives....i checked out the website and ordered a dvd last week.
it arrived on monday and i've done it twice this week....i really enjoy it....i've always wanted to do yoga and this is really neat because it has Christian music playing in the background and also some scripture read during the workout.
the dvd i got is called 'gentle journey'.....i have to say, the first time i did it, it wasn't so gentle, haha! but last night when i did it for the second time, it was a bit better....not easy...but more familiar, i guess...definitely breaks a sweat...
i think i'll continue to do this several times a week...
oh, and i'm also still hula hooping with my weighted hula hoop--such fun!!!, so we'll see how my next weigh in on monday goes....(this past monday i had gained a pound so hopefully at next weigh in the numbers will be lower)

back on track (for real this time)

2007-10-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

well,
after gaining all my weight back (plus a few lbs--yes, i'm embarrassed), last week i rejoined jenny craig and am now going to the centre by our house.
a few months back, my counselor at the prior centre left, and i never saw anyone else....then mom went through the breast cancer stuff, surgery, etc, and let's just say my work environment went through some stressful times.......and since i'm an emotional eater, i gained, gained, gained....

but today i had my first weigh in and have lost 3 lbs since last monday! woohoo!!
it's amazing what can happen when you shock your system with eating correct portions and just getting a little exercise after not doing either for months...

i am a realist, and do not expect a 3 lbs loss each week....but it sure is a motivator!!
again, i am having to learn portion control....because, honestly, it's easy for me to get out of control and EAT...

but, i think i'm in the right mindset this time to actually stay on track better....
so, there goes....i'll post more as "jacki's journey" continues :)

october is breast cancer awareness month

2007-10-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

not only in october, but each and every day, please go to www.thebreastcancersite.com and click to give free mammograms.

another site with wonderful information to educate yourself on breast cancer is www.komen.org

early detection is the key, so please do self-exams and have open communication with your doctor about mammograms....

Arkansas (copied from david's blog entry)

2007-10-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Trip Wrap Up--

ok, i cheated again and copied/pasted from david's blog....so if you read his, you don't need to read this : )

david said:
I cannot imagine the trip with family being any better than it was. We arrived a couple days before everyone else so I was able to spend great one on one quality time with Billy and his family and with Shirley and family.

Now let's continue from where I left off from day one.... On Friday we were able to sleep in a bit and start the day a little later than the day before. Billy's kids went to school and Trey made it to work so Jacki, Darian and I got to hang with Billy most of the day. We looked through photo albums and shared with him some of the pictures I had posted online from out last trip out there in 2002. Later in the day Jacki and I made it to De Queen to do a Walmart run. This was the first time I had driven un-aided into De Queen so it felt like a minor accomplishment.

Friday evening Billy grilled chicken, sausage and burgers. I don't know what Carly and Darian put on the burgers but they were fantastic. We had a great time eating with the kids and I was able to meet one of Billy's half-sisters, Tina, and her family. We got to talking and quickly found out both of us were at the same high school in Houston. She was a senior the year I was a freshman. Although we aren't blood related I felt like I met a new sister for the first time. Darian affectionately called her my quarter sister. Haha

At one point Earl, my grandfather's brother, showed up at Billy's unexpected asking for directions to Shirley's. He looks just like my great grandfather. Lisa and Jeff arrived and were able to join us for the end of dinner. They were staying in Texarkana so we took them down to Shirley's before it got too late. As Jacki, Lisa and Jeff visited with Shirley and Kristy I kept Katie occupied. She read me one of her Spongebob books and we chilled on the couch.

We got back to Billy's and Lisa and Jeff headed to Texarkana. And this is where the fun began. As we walk into Billy's he and Tina are sitting in front of the tv singing karaoke. Billy did a stunning rendition of Stand By Your Man which was hilarious. He had all of us on the floor laughing. Carly and Tina even did a duet together.

That night Tina, Jacki, Billy and myself end up talking for a couple of hours out on the front driveway. It felt great to really connect to Billy and will be one of those nights of visiting you'll never forget.

The next morning I got a call from Lisa right when I woke up. Their car's battery was dead so I drove down to Texarkana to pick her up. Not often that I get one on one time with Lisa. We grabbed an early lunch at Popeye's, talked to Mom on the phone to catch her up on the activities, and headed back to Horatio. We talked about ma-maw and pa on the way back and talked about the great times we had at Shirley's when we were growing up. You can't go wrong with video games and a hot tub.

A group of us headed over to Shirley's to visit with everyone. Lisa brought a painting Kristy did for me when I was a child. Now we are giving it to Katie. One of Billy's friends I hadn't seen in probably 20 years was there so I got to listen to him and Billy tell hunting stories with my Uncle Earl from Louisiana. Kristy prepared a great lunch with chicken, turkey and some seafood gumbo. Right as we finishing our plates my Dad and Rose arrived. We weren't sure they were going to make it so it was great to have so much of the family together.

I was taking people back and forth between Shirley's and Billy's. On one of the trips Carly and her boyfriend Craig rode ahead of us on a 4 wheeler. Craig has no fear and had been popping wheelies on the 4 wheeler the day before. After he dropped off Carly he was riding back towards us and was riding the wheelie like he was the day before. Then all of a sudden the bike got to upright and he flipped off to his left and the bike went off to his right. As we slowed down to help he jumped up off the ground, flipped the bike over, and gave us the thumbs up like he was ok. About 30 seconds later we got to the house and he was hurting. He ripped up his knee bad. He ended up at a Texarkana emergency room with 11 stitches.

After we saw Craig off to the hospital a few of us headed back to Shirley's. Once at Shirley's we spent the remainder of the evening sitting on the porch talking and telling stories. Another one of Billy's friends, Lawrence, also came over. Once the end of the night came it was hard to say bye to Shirley. When we talked alone Thursday night I asked her if there was anything else she wanted to do or see and she told me she would like to see Niagra Falls. When she hugged me as we were leaving she told me that maybe she will take that trip to Niagra Falls after all.

Jacki and I headed back to Billy's and got to say bye to the kids. Dad and Rose came by for a few minutes. We got a few pictures with everyone and then they left back to Texarkana for the night. After they left Tina and her husband Bobby came over to see us out. She brought over our old Lamar yearbook and we were able to confirm we were there at the same time. We got in some laughs about the big 80s hair as well as how goofy I looked.

The journey back was harder than I thought it would be. We left Arkansas about 12:30am and got to DFW a little after 4am. Along the way I had to stop a couple of times for my eyes to rest. Jacki was great and stayed up with me the entire time.

It would be great to get Billy and kids out to LA at some point. We are hoping Trey gets to come out to LA in the near future to check out some of the music scene and to hang with Darian. It was pretty remarkable how similar their taste in music was and how well they got along. For now I leave you with many of the pictures we took. For me this trip will hold some great memories and we can't wait to get back to see everybody again.

Posted by David

healing----something to think about

2007-09-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

last week, i went to a women's meeting at church...there was a time for prayer requests and many people were lifted in prayer...

*a woman said something that made me think of "healing" in a new light.
she said, "Sometimes we pray for healing, and God gives Perfect Healing by taking us home."

it made me think, because when someone is ill then pass away, people may look at that as God not healing that person.....
but if you think of that as 'Perfect Healing', there can be a sense of peace.

Women of Faith "Amazing Freedom 2007" conference

2007-09-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

just wanted to share a few notes i took at the women of faith
conference in anaheim sept 8th.....there was music, various speakers, comedian anita renfroe, and sandi patty performed--what an amazing voice!!
...the conference came at a good time for me--i've been a bit stressed and emotional lately with stuff in life and it was nice to get out and meet some women from church for a day of fellowship....i took notes on some things....my notes are a bit random---and some of the little sayings of the speakers are cheesy, but i think true : )

*stop comparing/stop controlling
- we tend to compare ourselves and our lives to others -- this is not good
- we try to be in control of everything and in the end, we are not
the one in control--God is and we need to put our faith in Him
"if you work all the time and focus on having the best of the best of
everything, you may not realize the best is sitting right in front of
you"
--sometimes it is best to sit, be still and quiet, and listen/hear
God---we tend to be so 'busy' in our lives that we don't take time to
just be still.

* if God has a dream for each of us, what happens when it is snatched
from us or if it never shows itself to us?
- there is a HUGE difference between God's dream and the american
dream.....the american dream is critically flawed.....so, what is
God's dream for us?
---God's dream is us being set free to live, love, fall down, and get
back up again. God loves us for who we are (with all our flaws and
short-comings)....he loves us just as we are---broken....his love is
not based on our actions, but on who we are...
it's ok to be broken.....if you tell someone the truth about you and
what you are experiencing and that person chooses to walk away from
you--let them go....we should surround ourselves with people who
accept us as we are...

we have to start by being vulnerable and telling the truth about who we are....
Amazing Freedom: Jesus paid our bill...we don't have to keep paying ---we can let go of
all the past emotional/mental/physical abuse-----we don't have to keep paying for it for the rest of our lives---Christ has paid for it so we can let it go and be freed through Christ's love for us.
---we should pray for each other
--we don't have all the answers.....but we are never alone--God is always with us and will pick us up and take us to others that will be there to love and support us.....remember that everyone is broken insome way....most of us just don't admit it....no one likes for others to think there is something wrong--whether it be something small or a major struggle we are going through.....
that's why when people ask 'so, how are you?', most of us just smile and say, 'i'm fine'.....
***God uses people when they are broken--not when people are full of themselves.
---we don't always get to choose what we go through, but we DO get to choose how we respond----choose life instead of emotional death....choose gratitude: list out things you are grateful for--God will do amazing things in your heart...the speaker talked a bit about philippians 4:6-7, 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.'

another mentioned 'the joy of the lord is our strength'

they talked about how hiding emotions is toxic---ok, cheesy saying-"what you don't say,
stays"....there is a release that comes when you take inside emotions and get them on the outside....you must express feelings or it will be toxic to your wellbeing..don't let held in emotions turn you to stone....

"to fully experience God, you must fully experience life.....to experience life, you must experience pain" --- to heal it, you have to feel it...so many times, to avoid "feeling", people get busy doing things to stay distracted from what is really going on....it's bad to deny,
bury, or stay distracted from feelings...
---you can't go over, under, or around the pain--you must go through
it. referenced psalm 23

God walks us through---he lifts us, he holds us......

God is always there whether we feel it, or not...he is in charge--we don't know what his plan is......but each thing we go through will teach us something and prepare us for the next thing....
think positive....count your blessings.....be grateful.....
amazing freedom is ours!!
: D

more denver

2007-09-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Rocky Mountains

(if you've already read about this on david's blog, you can stop---i cheated and basically copied/pasted this onto mine...just changing it up a bit)

On the final day of our trip, david wanted to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. He had mis-booked our flights and when he tried to reschedule, the flights on Labor Day were booked so we had an extra day in Denver. I woke up with a horrible headache but David had his heart set on going, so I tried my best to support him and Darian on the outing.

Once in Estes Park, david and darian ate at a KFC/Taco Bell combo place, while i slept in the car trying to get rid of my headache......they brought me a sandwich from subway.....While waiting in the parking lot david took a picture of some lightning from a storm that was passing through. We waited the storm out and then got back on the road to the park.

Our first stop was the Park and Ride to Bear Lake. Still having a horrible headache, I stayed in the car and slept while Darian and David took the bus to the Lake.....they walked around the entire lake and took quite a few pictures. It was an overcast day with drizzling so it wasn't as picturesque as david was hoping. On the way back they walked through Glacier Gorge and then took the bus back to the park and ride.

Our next stop was Sprague lake. Park buses didn't take visitors so there was a lot less traffic and people walking around. In some ways that made this a better lake to visit. The pictures also came out better at this lake then at Bear Lake. Darian kept me company in the car....she had had enough lake/walking for a while.....david was wanting to see as much as he could....we teased him that he was like a madman on a mission....i had no idea my husband was such the 'outdoorsman'.....haha..... As he walked the 1/2 mile around the lake he saw a chipmunk and some ducks. Once he got back to the car I was feeling much better.

Our next stop was Fern Lake. The guide I printed off of the internet mentioned we may even see some Elk. On the way to the lake we noticed a number of cars pulled over to the side of the road. We decided to stop and noticed that there were two giant elk in the meadows. The horns on these elk looked as large as some of the small trees they were standing by. No one ventured close and kept their distance and took photos. They had to have been at least 50-75 yards from the road.

Further down the road we drove through a pack of close to 10 female elk. There was even a smaller baby elk in the herd. They were eating leaves from trees that lined the road. After driving through we walked back and took some more pictures. We were able to get within about 10 feet of these elk. I told david seeing the elk made the trip worthwhile.

As we headed back to US 34 we saw a coyote running on the top of a small hill close to where the two male Elk were that we originally spotted. Darian said the coyote runs and looks like a dog. We got back onto US 34 and drove through Deer Junction. I spotted a deer running on one of the hills. Giant antelers but looked a little on the thin side.

Once up the road we accidentally made a wrong turn and ended outside of the park. After a u-turn and a visit to the information area we got back on track for Old Falls road. Darian and I were not thrilled at all of driving up a one way dirt road in the rain on the side of a mountain, although david said he found it easier to navigate than the roads on Pike's Peak.

At the end of the 10 mile road we made it to the top of one of the peaks. David took some cool pictures and then we were off to our final destination in the park, Millner's Pass at the Continental Divide. The divide is the point where bodies of water drain to. On one side of the divide about 50 yards from the sign the water drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other side with a small lake about a 100 yards away the lake drains into the Pacific Ocean.....(cool i guess, but darian and i thought there would be something more exciting to see besides the sign pictured here)

At this point the sun was going down and entering into dusk. We drove through the backside of the park, saw a few more elk, and believe we saw some moose as we exited the park. After dinner in Winter Park we made it back to Denver. When it was all said and done it was right at a 12 hour day. By 10:30pm we were back in our hotel room packing for our flight the next morning.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Pictures from our trip to Colorado

Here are pictures from our weekend in Colorado. The first album are pictures from the wedding events of Brett and Sandy McGarity. Including rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner and the wedding.

Brett And Sandy McGarity Wedding

The second album includes pictures from Pike's Peak and Rocky Mountain National Park.

Colorado Mountains

Brett and Sandy

We just wrapped a weekend of wedding festivities for Brett and Sandy. We took a lazy Saturday and headed to the rehearsal shortly after lunch.....david had a reading near the beginning of the ceremony and read the following piece......after the wedding ceremony he received many compliments for the piece, although he did not choose the selection.

Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together
that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.

Love is not breathlessness,
it is not excitement,
it is not the promulgation of eternal passion.
That is just being “in love,” which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away,
and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.

Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground,
And when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches,
They find that they are one tree and not two.
(Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres)

After the rehearsal we drove around, checked out Red Rocks, and then headed to the rehearsal dinner at Cool River Cafe. Brett and david went to Cool River Cafe years ago when he was in Denver for business so he thought was neat to see brett had selected the same place for rehearsal dinner.

After the dinner Mac, Brett's dad, took a small group of the guys out to Dave and Busters for some beers and to shoot pool.....darian and i stayed in the hotel room watching tv...

The big day was Sunday. The morning started early with a wedding breakfast. The group was a little larger than the dinner the night before.....darian decided to sleep in and didn't go to the breakfast.....david's mom and Marvin were there so they hung out with me while david was making the rounds.... Brett showed up early and left after about 30 minutes and Sandy showed up after Brett left for the last half.

The wedding was in the afternoon. The ceremony went off without a hitch-Brett and Sandy were officially married. It was great to see how happy the two of them are.

The reception ended the night with dinner and dancing. For those of you that know us, david is not much of a dancer....he usually enjoys himself by taking pictures and just hanging back. Well after much prodding by family and even Brett, david HAD to give in when the last song of the night ended up being "I Could Not Ask For More" by Edwin McCain. This was OUR wedding song and afterwards we talked to Brett and he mentioned that he liked that song from our wedding and wanted it to be their first song at his wedding. Sandy ended up picking the first song so Brett made it the final dance of the evening. It was very touching to know that we had touched his wedding in such a special way.

We said our goodbyes to Brett, his family, and to martha and marvin....
A very rewarding trip and we are grateful to have been included in both the wedding itself and all of the weekend's festivities.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

The top of Colorado

Yesterday we ventured out in Colorado. We took a drive up to the top of Pike's Peak.
The summit is 14,110 feet. It was a stunning view from the top although at the high altitude david felt both light headed and sluggish. At one point he nearly fell trying to get into the car. Darian had no problems and i felt a little light headed, but nothing like david.

After Pike's Peak we went to the Garden Of The Gods. This was the coolest looking exposed Red Rock we have ever seen. The write ups in the tour guides don't do it justice. We saw a picture on a postcard at the top of Pike's Peak and decided we needed to check it out. The shapes of the rock were very unique and it was remarkable that all of this occurred naturally. This is highly recommended if you ever make it to the Denver or Colorado Springs area. Many of the grounds around the red rock was landscaped with both hiking trails and sidewalk trails that also had the same color as the red rock.

We walked around for about an hour and checked out some of the different areas of the park. After a quick trip through the visitor's center we headed back to Denver.

We met up wtih david's Mom and Marvin for dinner at Old Chicago and afterwards david was able to meet up with Brett and catch up. It was good they had some one on one time to catch up before all of the wedding activities. Today we have the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and tomorrow is the big day.

Now we are off to get ready.

off to denver

2007-08-30T09:13:00.000-07:00

today we are heading out to denver.....david's childhood friend, brett, is getting married this weekend....darian and i haven't seen brett since the wedding in 1999, and david hasn't seen him in 5 or so years---it will be good to see him and meet sandy, his bride-to-be.
more later...

Happy Birthday to us!

2007-08-19T21:56:00.000-07:00

darian's birthday was on the 15th and mine was the 18th...
darian's bday day started at 5am---we had to get up early to drive to glendale, where the donnas (d's favorite band) were doing a video shoot.....d had been picked a few days before (after sending in pictures and application to be in the video)....since she is under 18, i had to go along to sign the permission/authorization form.
there was a professional makeup artist on the set and d had her makeup done.....then it was time to start the shoot....the fans were being filmed screaming as the donnas got out of a limo and went into the studio......lots of takes of screaming fans.....d got to hug a couple of the band members so hopefully she'll end up in the final cut of the video....

when we arrived home, there was a delivery guy with sprinkles cupcakes (from ron & kat in austin---thanks guys!!)---d was so excited! said she was having a rockin' day: makeup done, video shoot, sprinkles cupcakes delivered to her door : )
that evening, we went to the rainbow on sunset for dinner and a couple of d's friends joined her....after that, she went to the roxy with one of her friends to see junior senior and gravy train.....turns out, the singer and bass player from the donnas were there and the singer came up to d and talked to her for quite some time.....they talked a couple times throughout the night......pretty cool day for d..

my day was not quite as exciting....i had to do my own makeup, no video shoot, etc ; )

our good friend, dean, came over to the house and we all went to lunch at the cheesecake factory....it's always great to see dean.....dean's bday is 8/9, so we always try to get together to celebrate all our bdays.......we met dean back in 1994......he was the one comforting thing to us when we found out we were moving out here----comfort in knowing that a dear friend lives here.....made the move easier....we try to get together from time to time....wish it was more often...he's a great guy...
after lunch, we all came back to the house and visited for a while...was nice.
late last night, d and i went to high voltage tattoo in w hollwood and i got a birthday tattoo (a yellow and purple pansy on my right upper arm)....i think it is a starting piece to a larger arm tattoo.....we'll see....my arm is really bruised now -- taking plavix makes any kind of pressure leave a bruise and having constant pressure on my arm for about an hour really did it up good...came home and went to bed....
will post a picture after it heals......

celebrity sighting??

2007-07-31T22:03:00.000-07:00

darian has been working some at the office with me, and on our way home we were talking about how we haven't had a celebrity sighting in a while....well, we decided to go for an evening walk and went to the ocean to enjoy watching the waves from the santa monica pier...

on our way back, we saw a bus that had "LAST COMIC STANDING" written on the side---and all the finalist from the show 'last comic standing' were inside!!! in case you don't know, we are big fans of comedy and always watch the show....it's a world-wide comedic competition (hence the name, the last comic standing).....

we were so excited!! we walked over to the bus and darian said "are you jon reep?" he opened the window and said, 'um, maybe' and smiled.....i shook his hand then we said hi to the others...they all said hi and waved....i think we may have caught them off-guard by knowing their names and lines from their comedy bits.....they all seemed so happy....made our evening!!
FUN FUN!!

East meets West

2007-07-21T13:20:00.001-07:00

it's been some time since my last post---not much going on to write about, i guess.

well, after numerous visits with various doctors.....neurologist....rheumatologist---lab work after lab work, being tested for everything and nothing coming up abnormal, at my last dr visit, she told me that obviously i have something out of balance even though all my labs have textbook results.
she recommended i go to an acupuncturist to try acupuncture and chinese herbs.
my doctor told me that our western medicine is great in detecting things like cancer, heart disease, etc, but she thinks sometimes eastern medicine is more advanced for other things (like balancing out things in the body (whatever that means)....

here in los angeles, we have come across people that do 'energy balancing' and things like that but i've never looked into it or anything....but since no one can find any reasons for anything i've experienced, i am starting another route: acupuncture and chinese herbs for now.....maybe energy balancing later, who knows ; )

so far, i've had two acupuncture sessions and feel fine....i figure it can't hurt me, so if anything, it can only help, right?

texas trip and mom

2007-06-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

darian and i flew to texas on 5/30...we were supposed to land at 11:35pm, get a rental car, drive to terry & buffy's for the night.....then drive to port lavaca early next morning so i could go to dr appt w/mom and jan on 5/31.
our flight to austin was delayed and we ended up landing around 2am....rental car co was closed so terry drove to the airport and took us back to their house (THANKS, BROTHER!!)
buffy was sweet enough to wake up for a minute to welcome us before we all went to bed.
since rental car co opened at 6am, there was no way we were going to make it to PL in time to go to mom's appt. terry took me back to the airport to get the rental car then he was off to work....i went back to the house and went back to sleep for a bit...
darian and i ended up going to eat breakfast at kerbey lane (one of our austin favs)....yummy food : )
when terry got off work, he had lunch with us then we headed out to PL....

it's always great to be in PL at mom's : )
we are blessed that our family gets along and loves to visit with one another...
besides the 'normal' family visit--this trip, we went to kendal's high school graduation, see a dear friend, roxanna (who used to live down the street/we grew up together), celebrate mom's 81st bday, and visit with janice and her mom for a bit.....oh, and we ate from el patio (twice)...umm, umm good!!
was great to catch up with roxanna--it had been a while since our last visit.....i went down to her mom's house and we watched a dvd that had been put together for her dad's 10-yr life celebration.....i can't believe it has been 10 yrs since he passed away...it was nice watching the dvd with roxanna and her mom.

the only bad part of the trip is that i ended up with a migraine 2 days....spent several hours in bed with an ice pack.....but over all -- great trip...
darian and i flew back on sunday 6/3.....at the austin airport, we ate at schlotzsky's and amy's ice cream.....and at david's request, bought him two brisket sandwiches from the salt lick (i guess we kind of 'ate our way' through texas).....

we flew from austin to phoenix then to LAX.....when we were boarding the plane i saw a guy that i thought looked like Gallagher and mentioned that to darian.....but we weren't sure...when we got to LAX and were at baggage claim, we saw the Gallagher-looking guy and decided we would go up and ask if it was him or not.....so, darian and i walked over to him and asked him if he was Gallagher.....he just nodded 'yes'....then i asked if we could get a picture with him and again he nodded 'yes'...he was a very quiet man....then when i got ready to take the picture, he put his arm around darian....we thanked him and went to wait for our bags.....while we were waiting, we saw a wooden sledge hammer come around and we knew it belonged to Gallagher....was pretty funny....

mom's surgery to repair the aneurysm was set for a couple days after we left---was hard for us to leave as we wanted to be there with her......but she had several of my siblings there so i knew she had a great support system with her.....plus mom told me not to worry.....

she had the surgery and went home the next day......she said she's feeling great--no pain....
life is good : )

jimmy kimmel

2007-05-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

ok, my posts are a bit out of order, but last wednesday jennifer flew in from az and we went to the jimmy kimmel show to see the bravery....we weren't inside the studio but were at the outside stage....the band played 4 songs, 2 were aired.....the show was short but good....i enjoy seeing them live...and it's always good to see jen.....
the night before the show, i had called mom and turns out she was watching the jimmy kimmel show---i had no idea mom watched that show---and told her that jen and i were going to be going to the show the next night...
well, jen and i made signs (in the event that we were on camera)...i had a hot pink sign that said 'hugs to mom in texas' and jen's sign said 'hi jaron' for her son....
mom said she saw the signs but couldn't see what they said--camera view was too far away...

well, after the show, we had wristbands to go to virgin megastore and meet the band/get autographs....the line went pretty fast and the guys were all really nice....
when i got to the end of the table, the drummer asked me 'who's that on your arm?'....i said it was my mom and he, the keyboardist, and the guitarist were in awe of the tattoo....said i look like mom.....the guitarist asked me who did it and when i said kat von d, he got excited and asked if i was on the show (referring to miami ink)...i told him no--that kat did it here in hollywood.....the drummer took my arm was admiring the details/artwork of the hair, eyes, etc...and said my tattoo puts his to shame....they were all so nice......it was very cool

going to texas soon!!

2007-05-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

darian and i are excited that we'll be in port lavaca in a few days---can't wait to see everyone!
we fly to austin wednesday night and will probably stay at terry and buffy's for the night (unless i feel good enough to drive straight down to mom's)....if i'm at all tired, we'll crash at t & b's and head out early next morning to PL......
we can't wait!!

: )

strange weekend

2007-05-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

friday night darian went to the promenade with a friend & david and i went on our regular friday night outing (dinner at louise's)......had my normal baby organic salad, papardelle, and blackstone merlot....after dinner, we went home & hung out for a bit then i went to bed....
saturday morning i woke up---and the strange weekend begins:
my hands and feet were red, swollen, and felt 'asleep'.....thinking nothing really at first because i've woken up with my hands tingling/feeling asleep before, i went about starting my day....
well, i realized my hands were worse than before because i couldn't get my rings on my fingers--too swollen.....i figured maybe i had slept wrong or something and that everything would go away within a few minutes or so....

well, throughout the day, my hands and feet got worse.....more pins and needles feeling and more red...i had taken benadryl thinking if i had allergic reaction to something, maybe it would help.......but nothing.....just worse and worse....it hurt to close my hands, so, at 11:45pm saturday night i had david drive me to the emergency room......darian was at the promenade again so i called her to let her know what was going on......david went to pick her up after leaving me at the ER...i told david to stay with d---there wasn't any need for him to just sit at the ER with me....so he and d went home...
i had the drs baffled....they kept bringing different doctors by to look at my hands and feet.....i was tested for viruses, infectious diseases (hepatitis, hiv, anything you can think of)......all the doctors said it was weird that i wasn't having any other symptoms.....but during the time i was in the ER, the redness on my feet had spread so they drew lines around my ankles marking the rash.......they ran LOTS of blood tests...i was admitted to UCLA santa monica at 5:30 am (i told them that i am going to tx in a few days to see my mom and family and they said they just wanted me there to be observed and have tests run and that it would probably be a short stay).....i was watched by several nurses and doctors, had more blood drawn, etc, met with a rheumatologist, and was finally released at 3:20pm sunday...
---let me just say: i found out that all my lab work (for the tests that have come back) came back with textbook numbers---apparently i am very healthy-----just have a freaky thing with my hands & feet....possible nerve or autoimmune issue.....i've been given a prescription for a steroid pack to take for a week, then my plan after i return from texas is to see my neurologist for nerve testing and also see a rheumatologist for further tests, i guess......we'll see....

i'm glad today was a holiday so i'm getting to rest (you don't get much sleep in a hospital).....
i am feeling perfectly fine (just tired)---my hands and feet are not red (still have the tiny red dots from where the rash was), but not as swollen, and instead of feeling asleep, they just itch a bit.....probably an allergic reaction to something, but no idea what since i didn't eat or drink anything new before this happened....

kinda strange, huh???

*** oh, if anyone reading this in the medical field that starts iv's or draws blood and it's not an emergency/time pressed issue--- please listen to a patient when they tell you where the good veins are in their arms......my left arm has four pretty bruises from either iv or blood draw attempts-----and before each time i told the people to use my right arm (which is where they ended up anyway after the failed attempts)....ok--there i said it.

spring break trip -- san diego

2007-05-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Highlights of our trip included a day at the San Diego Zoo (highly recommended), a day at Sea World, and a couple of days of touring the San Diego area including a stay on Coronado Island and a walk through a haunted house.....oh and david and i played tennis together for the first time ever---was fun--and surprisingly we were pretty good (except i hit the ball out of the court once)--oops!
---and don't make fun that i am wearing long sleeves the entire trip and a huge hat---i burn easily : P
plus i had to keep covered---i got my new tattoo the day we returned to los angeles---can't get tattooed on sunburn!

click and enjoy the photos and videos : )

updated picture

2007-04-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

darian took this picture last night.....still have more healing to do, but the redness is gone....everyone that has seen my tattoo says i look like mom....makes me feel good.

i told darian that when i look at the tattoo in the mirror, something looks different to me than when i look at the photo.....she brought to my attention that my arm is curved so it looks a little different than the picture that is flat....she flattened my arm and made me realize that it does look just like the photo kat used for the tattoo..
it's pretty amazing....i couldn't have asked for better!
i'm very pleased :)

new tattoo

2007-04-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

here's a picture taken halfway through my tattooing today....will post the 'after' once the redness has gone away...

darian and i went to true tattoo and kat von d was so nice....i wasn't sure what to expect--didn't know if she would be 'celebrity' acting since she's been on a tv show and is a tattoo artist to famous actors and musicians....but she was so down-to-earth....seemed to be very 'real'....she greeted us with hugs and was talkative/just really, really friendly.
the experience was great---kat has a very light touch and i would have to say that i can't even use the word 'pain' to describe any part of the tattooing process....
it was a pleasant experience...

kat said she hopes mom likes the tattoo....and she wants me to come back in a few weeks after it's completely healed to show her the final result....
she gave us both hugs then we went to meet up with david, who went to see a movie while we were at the tattoo shop....

darian said it looks like the picture was 'just put right on my arm'.....the likeness is AMAZING! I AM COMPLETELY PLEASED and can't wait to see it once it's healed.
:)

Jacki's Tattoo(16)

Apr 12, 2007

new ink (soon)

2007-04-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

for quite some time i've wanted to get a portrait tattoo of mom and the only tattoo artist i would want to do it is kat von d.....i found out about kat von d on a tv show called 'miami ink'....she specializes in black & gray portrait and pin-up style tattoos...kat lives in los angeles but had been flying to miami for the show taping...she's finished taping and is back in LA....
the process to get an appt w/kat is to email the request through her website and there is a statement on her site that says even if you request an appt, it doesn't guarantee you will get an appt.....apparently kat is booked out a couple months in advance.....
on 3/8, i emailed the request for an appt....

AND......the other day i received a call from aaron, kat's assistant, who said he read my request, and since i live in the area, they are able to get me in on friday, the 13th.....i can't believe it!! so, looks like i'll be meeting with kat on friday at true tattoo in los angeles and getting mom's portrait inked on my arm.....i want to have it placed where it is easily visible by me and others....

by having the tattoo, my mom will always be at my side :)
i love you mom!!!

Jeremy Camp (3/29)

2007-04-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

jen and i went to see jeremy camp at the house of blues on sunset blvd and just like when we saw him in november, the show was amazing! one difference was that security at hob was so strict about people taking pictures (jen did manage to take a few, though).
we got there early and had dinner, which enabled us to go in the 'pass the line' line so we were able to get in the venue before the long line of people that had been waiting outside....we were right up front (well, one guy was in front of me)...
opening band was The Myriad. we hadn't heard of them before so didn't really know what to expect. we both enjoyed them and after the show jen and i got to meet them at the merch booth--they were there to meet people and sign stuff for everyone....really nice guys..
there was a camera guy in the crowd filming for a documentary on jeremy. he talked to us and asked us to say something into the camera.....we ended up telling him that i had gone to see jeremy in arizona and that jen flew to LA for the show that night...he ended up getting us on camera a few times during the show (which was kind of cool, but also kind of strange because i just wanted to see the show and not have a camera around me (he kept walking either right in front of me to film the crowd behind me, or right beside me to film jeremy and the guys on stage)....but over all the show was awesome!
jeremy has so many songs that just touch the heart.....and bring people to tears...for me, it's the fact that his songs talk about what so many of us think and feel and what some of us long for---that close relationship with God...
he talked of his owns struggles dealing with hardships/trials and how the Lord has always been there for him...he talked of losing his first wife to cancer a few years back and how he was angry at how God could let that happen but that he knows he couldn't have made it through the hard times without God...he is now remarried and blessed with two beautiful little girls....basically, we don't know the big picture of what God has in store for us---we only see a fraction--which is why sometimes we don't understand why things happen in our lives......his words are very inspiring.

he kept saying he couldn't believe how welcoming and excited the crowd was---said it was the best house of blues show he's had and that he'll definitely come back to LA! :)
set list:
Lay Down My Pride
Tonight
Take You Back
What It Means
Right Here
Beyond Measure
I Still Believe/Walk By Faith
Beautiful One
We Give You Glory
This Man
Feels Like
Stay

his wife, adie, came out to do a couple songs with him--they sang My Desire and Give Me Jesus....that was supposed to be the end of the show, but the crowd couldn't get enough and they sang a couple more, ending with 'Take My Life' (which seemed to be a crowd favorite)....
we got the set list after the show and even though jeremy didn't come out, jennifer was able to get three of the other guys to sign it...
overall, it was a very spiritual, uplifting, fun night!

today's weigh in

2007-03-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

at today's weigh in i was down 1.6 lbs :)
i am taking it day by day.....i didn't get as much physical activity in as i should have this past week and will try to be better about it this week.

The Bravery

2007-03-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

this past week, jen flew in from arizona to see The Bravery at the troubadour....i wasn't familiar with the band's music, but they are one of her favorites and since they were playing in los angeles, she came in for the show.
she flew in wednesday and got dropped off at my workplace.....after work, we walked to the grove and had dinner at the cheesecake factory--yummy! then we went back to the office, got ready for the show and headed out to the troubadour..
opening band was named Foreign Born---i guess they were good, but not anything i'd go buy or go to see in concert again--just not my thing, i guess.
then, it was time for The Bravery: awesome energy from the band and the fans..
the show was great and we got to meet the guys afterward---they came out and talked to the fans, signed things, and took pictures with whoever asked...they were all so nice!
we came straight home and david was up working (as usual) so jen shared the pictures of the show and then we had to try to get some sleep since jen had to wake up at 4:00am to get the shuttle to the airport for her early morning flight back to arizona...
it was a fast trip for jen and not lots of time for us to visit, but she will be back next week on the 29th to go see Jeremy Camp with me at the house of blues----can't wait to see JC again!

oh, and i think i will add The Bravery to my ipod :)

Risen church

2007-03-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

since darian had been sick over the past few weeks we have missed going to church on sunday night.......i've gone a couple times to the morning service but last night darian and i went back to Risen (evening service).
i can't tell you how good it felt to be there and see our friends that we hadn't seen in a while....it's probably different than what you are used to as far as "church" goes --it's not your typical 'traditional' church service and i highly recommend anyone reading this to check out their podcasts (see link in my favorite site section)....
the teachings are always so interesting and really make you think....and the music/songs are amazing.....
i always get a sense of peace there and the ability to really focus on God...

it amazes me that for about 20 yrs i didn't really ever even think about church and now it's like my entire week is a little "off" if i don't go....
i guess during those years, i didn't see what i was missing.....i just took each day for what it was, thinking my life was fine....now it's comforting to know that by including God in my daily living, my life can be filled with so much more:
last night, it was said that sometimes we get so busy with all that's going on in our lives that we are 'too busy' to see God....
sometimes we just need to stop and be still............

weekly weigh in

2007-03-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

this morning i went to jenny craig for my weekly weigh in with my counselor, shawna.
was happy to see that i am down 2.2 lbs :)
i was a bit hesitant to weigh since david and i went out the other night and i had 2 drinks....then last night we went to jones (restaurant) and the key club and had 2 drinks too.....i wouldn't have been surprised if i had actually gained a couple pounds....but i guess all my activity during the week really paid off----i had gone to curves a few times and have been walking a couple miles during my lunch breaks.
normally i don't have much to drink (usually a glass of wine at dinner every once in a while, or maybe a margarita), but 4 drinks this week --YIKES!
i was happy to see good results on the scale.....very encouraging -- looking forward to the upcoming week....

back on track......

2007-03-05T21:18:00.000-08:00

first off---it's so nice to read everyone's comments.....(and darian says hi)
just want to let everyone know that i'm back on track with my working out, eating right....for the couple of weeks that i was going through all my medical stuff i wasn't really focused on my program......(plus for valentine's day, david bought me M&M's that had 'jacki & david' and 'i love you' printed on them----and i ended up eating quite a few)

i had my weigh in and had actually gained 3.7 lbs back ---i guess that's what stress, not working out, and not really watching what i eat does to me----so, as of saturday, i am back on track.

saturday i walked to curves and worked out, then walked to a place called rip city skates to check out some roller skates, and walked home (about 3 miles total)..
then darian and i walked back to rip city and i bought a pair of skates!!
i'll have to post a picture of them---they're really cool (yes, i'm a dork)
they are beige suede with hot pink wheels and pink/green/yellow laces--PRETTY!!!
since darian recommended the pink wheels, they are officially "teen-ager approved"
:)

up until about a year ago i still had my skates from back in the 'get together' skating rink days....but i got rid of them when we moved here because i hadn't used them in years....i recently realized that here, people walk, bike, inline & roller skate, skateboard, etc.....much more active than where we were before....so i decided i wanted skates again....
i have not taken them outside yet, but have skated from our living room to our kitchen a few times--and haven't fallen yet :)

sunday curves is closed, but i walked a little over 2 miles--the weather here is so nice and it's very cool to be able to walk a bit and see the ocean...very relaxing.

today i walked for about 30 minutes during lunch (not the ocean view of yesterday, but still relaxing)...and went to curves tonight after work.

feels good to be back on track :)

final results -- also NORMAL : )

2007-02-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

i had an appt scheduled for monday to go see the stroke/vascular specialist but my since my coworker is out next week and i really can't be out too, i thought i'd call to see if the dr would just tell me my results over the phone.....
dr kim told me that all the tests are normal and that he knows it's frustrating not having a definite answer to things (why reflexes on right side are hypersensitive, what the spot in my spinal cord is, etc), the good news is that nothing is 'wrong' enough to show on any of the tests i've had.....he did say to pay attention to anything that goes on with my body and that we can always do more testing in the future, if necessary....
i ended my conversation with him by asking, 'so, if nothing new happens, i can just plan on seeing you in a year for my regular neurological follow up?' and he said 'yes, i'll see you in a year'.....
so, YAY (again)!!

more test results -- all normal : )

2007-02-22T17:54:00.000-08:00

today the MS doctor told me all four evoked potential test results are normal....
he said looks like we can rule out MS unless i have any future neurological issues...
i asked him why my reflexes on my right side were hypersensitive (since the left side is explained from brain damage area from stroke) and he didn't really have an answer but since all his tests came back normal, he's not concerned.
i also asked what could have caused the spot in my spinal cord that has shown on the two most recent MRI scans and he said that he didn't know, but that it was so tiny that for all he knows, it could have been from when my spinal cord was developing---it wraps around during formation and that there could have been a pocket of spinal fluid that i could have had all my life (but prior MRI scans were just of my brain, not cervical cord)...
as i am writing this i just now realized i have had a full spinal MRI done before, which is when they found i have bulging lumbar disks...i don't know if my cervical cord was shown in that scan---will have to figure that out and see---if it was then that will show the spot or let us know if that spot is new...

monday i go back to the stroke/vascular specialist for the final doppler result....
so it looks i am not as broken as they thought i might be :)

i still get migraines periodically (several lately), but am thinking they are stress-related due to all the tests i've gone through....so now that the testing is over, the headaches should go.....
YAY!!! today is good.

letter from haiti

2007-02-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

i am so excited today---
in november when jennifer and i went to see jeremy camp, Compassion International had a big booth in the lobby of the concert venue and the announcers and artists talked about their sponsored children and about the Compassion organization. I didn't sign up or fill out anything that night, but came home with the thought of sponsoring a child weighing heavily on my heart.....a few days passed and in the mail was an envelope from Compassion International (coincidence to some, a sign to me--david thinks i'm silly)

anyway, darian and i looked through the information packet and at the children's profiles they sent and i decided to sponsor a 10 yr old girl, named saintilia, who lives in haiti.....darian helped me pick saintilia because in her profile it stated she likes to sing....and darian sings, so they have that in common.

well, a couple months ago after i got confirmation of my sponsorship, i wrote her a letter and sent a picture of us.....and today i received a letter from her....
we are so blessed and it's important to stop and be thankful for what we have been given...
it is a great feeling to be able to give and to be a part of something that can help others who are in need....

waiting for results

2007-02-16T18:43:00.000-08:00

just got home from having my MRI.....now am just waiting for the results of my evoked potential tests and the MRI.....my doctor emailed me last night stating the EP results are not in yet and he will let me know as soon as they are available.
he said he received my medical records from my previous neurologists in austin and atlanta and asked me to get my records from my doctor in austin that referred me to my first neurologist (when i had the stroke in 2000)....he's wanting to see if i had any symptoms back then that i am having now (ie: my left leg gets clumsy sometimes when i walk and i trip every once in a while)....i can't remember how long i've been doing that and he's trying to find out if it's something new or old....so, today i requested those records...
i feel good that he is being so thorough....i know i have great doctors here.
will post as soon as i hear something.....

oh, and as far as weight loss---another week of being exactly the same weight. i didn't work out much at all this week, but am still feeling great about my progress :)

tests scheduled

2007-02-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

on monday morning i am scheduled for the evoked potential tests...i was told they will be giving me valium to help my muscles relax/not be tense during the electrical impulses, so david will have to take me and pick me up (tests should take 3-4 hours).

and friday evening i am scheduled for the MRI of my brain and cervical cord....

then on the 21st, i am scheduled for the 'bubble' test (one of the four parts of the transcranial doppler test).....they started to do this one with the others before, but had to stop because they couldn't get the saline solution injected properly into my vein---the needle kept coming out, so they're going to try again.

will update as the results come in....

latest test results : )

2007-02-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

my dr just called and the doppler results are normal :)

still waiting to see when i can have the MRI and evoked potential tests to check for MS......
but all other tests: so far, so good.

weekly weigh in

2007-02-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

today i had my weekly weigh in at jenny craig.......no weight loss, but my clothes are fitting differently so i'm happy....i am officially in a smaller pant size---YAY!!!
i have been working out at curves regularly and on sunday, darian and i went walking. we walked about 2 1/2 miles....was great getting out and spending time talking/walking with d....did a bit of mother/daughter bonding---was very nice :)

calendar verse worth sharing

2007-02-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

my friend jennifer gave me a Purpose Driven Life calendar and reading it inspires me each day......but today's verse really touched my heart and i want to share it:

The good news is that God wants you to pass the tests of life, so he never allows the tests you face to be greater than the grace he gives you to handle them. The Bible says, "God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out"
(1 Corinthians 10:13).

medical stuff --week of various tests

2007-02-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

in december i went for a checkup and my doctor said i should go see my neurologist again --it had been a year and since i have stroke history, i have to have periodic neurological checkups..

my neurologist told me that on my last MRI scan in 11/05, there was a tiny spot (about the size of a pin head) that wasn't on any prior scans....it was located in my cervical cord area)....last year, she had ordered another MRI (which was denied by my insurance) and then never mentioned it again (basically said it was so tiny, she wasn't really concerned with it)so i never thought of it again.

but this time, i guess just being cautious and since i have insurance with a different carrier, she referred me to a vascular stroke specialist at UCLA and also to a doctor at UCLA's multiple sclerosis research and treatment center....she said she'd feel better if i went for further testing (who knows, maybe she had a patient that had something happen over the past year so now she is being extremely cautious for her patients, i don't know).
--she mentioned that MS can manifest in a person's neck and brain so they just want me to be checked out to either rule out or confirm an MS diagnosis.
**** i am not really worried as i feel better/healthier than i ever have ****
i do have some weakness in my left side (normal from where the brain damage is on my right side from the stroke) and also have hypersensitive reflexes (for my left side-again goes with where damage is from stroke)....but i also have hypersensitive reflexes on my right side (which doesn't jive with the stroke damage) and i also didn't do as well on a couple of the neurological tests given by the MS dr, so they are trying to figure out why i have that (maybe i am just a spastic person---haha)...

but, if it turns out i do have MS or something, i know they would have caught it early and UCLA has top-notch doctors/treatments....so with God and good doctors, i know i would be fine.

well, this past couple of weeks, at the stroke specialist's recommendation, i have had an ultra sound of my heart and a TEE (transesophgal echocardiogram)and both turned out absolutely normal. Yesterday i had a transcranial doppler and will get the results soon.

i am waiting on insurance company approval to have another brain & cervical cord MRI (to see if that tiny spot is still there or if anything has changed since the last scan) and some tests called 'evoked potential' exams. i'll be having visual, brainstem auditory, and somatosensory (arms and legs) evoked potential tests.
basically, these involve electrodes stuck on my head and electrical pulses on various parts (arms, legs) to determine the exact time it takes for the stimulus to reach the brain.

no need to worry, but am just posting to keep everyone updated on me and i'm finding it's easier to post about something instead of writing individual emails to tell people stuff.

prayer never hurt anyone, so if you could, please keep me in your prayers....no such thing as too much prayer...
love you all!!

today's weigh in

2007-01-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

today i had my weekly weigh in at jenny craig and i lost 3.2 lbs this past week!!
so i'm down a total of 9.3 lbs and 5 1/2 inches in the past four weeks :)

yoga booty ballet

2007-01-28T12:09:00.000-08:00

well, darian and i did the yoga booty ballet dvd last night....
the latin flavor one was too hard for us first-timers so we started with the light & easy dvd....made it through but was tiring....also realized i am more coordinated that i thought i was :)

it's something we'll definitely do again and again.

today i did it!

2007-01-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

my husband has been blogging forever, and since i have begun a personal journey i thought it might be good to journal it......so here i am: entering the blog world.

you who know me know that i have struggled with my weight for many years....i've realized i am an emotional eater so for me, it's harder than just eating less/exercising more....sad, but i've tried anything and everything out there to lose weight.....and it would work temporarily then i'd gain it back and then some.....i've lived in the world of yo-yo dieting---bad world.
i guess in my head i just ended up thinking i was just supposed to look like this/that this is just how i am.

but then when i was at mom's over the Christmas holidays, i happened to get out my high school yearbooks and realized that i used to be really thin & healthy looking.
this may sound silly, but it was a bit of an eye opener....

i was talking with one of my sisters and she was telling me how she hates to exercise but has found things she can do at home. she told me that for her to work out, it has to seem like she's not really working out.....i've also been talking about food/nutrition with one of my other sisters a bit lately...it's good to talk about things with others.....my mom and family are very positive and encouraging....i love them all dearly...thanks for the support!

well, i had joined Curves (30-minute workout/gym for women) back in june and had lost some weight, but then stopped and gained some back--for some reason, i think i fell back into the thinking that maybe i was just supposed to be like i was....

over Christmas, david and i went to hastings book/music store and i came across a book titled, 'lose it for life'. it's pretty much a bible-based book that talks about the different reasons one may be overweight and the keys to lose weight and keep it off for life....the seven keys are:
surrender
acceptance
confession
responsibility
forgiveness
transformation
preservation
**again, an eye opener.
while reading the book i realized that i had been holding on to some false beliefs about myself from things that have happened to me and had been told to me in the past...reading the book made me realize that my worth/value does not come from what others say or do to me, but comes from God. that is all that matters. people will say and do things that can be hurtful, but if i remember to put and keep God first, i will be fine...i am learning to forgive others and myself and take responsibility for things in my life......it's something i will work on daily.

i had an awakening that i am worth it----worth taking care of myself and becoming physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy.....

so, my journey begins:
i know the foods that are good for me verses the foods that are bad for me---but my problem is portion control....and too much of anything is bad for me....so, on january 2nd, i joined jenny craig to help me relearn portion control and have been working out at Curves almost daily, and doing the exercises at home that my sister showed me. i've been getting out and walking during my lunch hour at work and have also bought a sports-hoop (a 3 lb hula hoop). i'm doing what jean said---making exercise FUN....and today, darian and i bought a Yoga Booty Ballet dvd so we'll see how that goes.....

in the past three weeks, i have lost 6.1 lbs and this week i was able to wear pants that i haven't been able to wear in a long time :)
so, YAY for me!!