Collectibles

I mentioned in one of my recent posts that I collect angels. I also collect many other things, one of them being butterflies. I have loved butterflies since my accident because of the tremendous change they go through from being a caterpillar to butterfly. It reminds me of the change I went through. They are definitely symbolic.

When I was young I started collecting rocks. I've always had a fascination with them, even up till this day. I have tons of them around my room ranging from big to little and polished to unpolished. I also have ones from different states and mountains that I have polished with my rock tumbler. The first picture above is of my rock collection behind the head of my bed. Since I've taken that picture, my collection has grown tremendously back there.

One of the other things that I collect are antique marbles. All of the ones I have are made at least 50 years go. They are antique because they are old and not made the same way anymore. I have hundreds of them and I love all of the different colors. The second picture above is one of the displays that I have for my marbles hanging on my wall in my bedroom.

Another thing that I find collecting more and more of are cigar boxes. I really don't know why I like them so much. I guess because you can use them for so many things. I like to decorate them and turn them into jewelry boxes.

Okay, so the last thing I collect are glass bowls, vases, and figurines. I love glass. Probably because of the colors and the way people can shape it. I use the bowls to put my polished rocks in to display them around my room. The vases and figurines are just for show.

That's it for things I collect. Oh, except for my collection of clothes. I don't think that counts though. A girl has to have outfits. No wonder my room is so full of stuff. I better not start any more collections or I won't have any more space in my room.

Jenni

Guests at the House

Today I went to the grocery store with my mom. My aunt, uncle and cousins are in town from Colorado. They drove all day yesterday and got here around 10 PM. They are staying with us through the weekend. I haven't seen them in a few years. So my mom and I went to the grocery store today to buy some dinner for tonight. She will be cooking for nine people instead of just four. On Saturday we are having a bunch of family over. We will be having a huge feast then. We don't really have anything else planned at the moment, but that's okay. I'm really happy they are here.

Jenni

Cirque Du Soleil

The other day I went to Cirque du Soleil. It is a dramatic mixture of Circus arts and street entertainment. There is no ring and are no animals which helps make it a modern circus. They have 18 separate shows with almost 4000 employees performing over five continents. The show that I saw on Sunday was called Kooza. I have also been to a few of their other shows in the past. They are in Minnesota with this particular show for the month of July.

The picture above is of my dad, sister, nurse and I in front of the Cirque du Soleil tent that they have set up for the show. I have also posted a video below that shows some behind-the-scenes of the show that we saw, Kooza.



I want to know if any of you seen any of the Cirque du Soleil shows. Did you like it? I had a great time and hope to do it again next time they come in town.

Jenni

Series Number Three

So far I have two series going: Life As a Quad and Did You Know. I decided to start a third series that will be called: Stories from the Past. Each post will be a story from my past either before or after my accident. I decided to do this series to share some stories about things that have happened to me or things that I've done whether good or bad, happy or sad. I'm hoping it will give some more insight on me besides just my life now. Let me know what you think.

Jenni

Life As a Quad III: Physical Therapy

One thing that is very important for people with disabilities is physical therapy. Therapy can help in many ways and be very beneficial to someone who is unable to move on their own. Not only can physical therapy help with the body, it can also help relieve stress on one's mind.

I get physical therapy 3 to 4 times a week. My therapist comes to my house for a 45 minute visit each time. We do many activities and exercises during this therapy time to help my body. These help loosen my muscles, help me strengthen my ability to move, and help with pain management. I also gain more energy by working out in therapy which gives me the ability to do more things during the day.

My physical therapist has helped me with being able to tighten any muscle in my body in order to move certain things (i.e. my arms, legs, back, stomach etc.). The picture above is of me sitting on the edge of my bed. This is one of the activities that I have been doing to help strengthen my back and stomach muscles. When I first started sitting up by myself, I could only do it for about 30 seconds before I would start to lean forward and my therapist would have to hold me back up. That was a few years ago. Now, I am able to sit up on the edge of my bed for a lot longer. My record so far is 5 1/2 minutes. If I start to fall forward, I am able to tighten my back muscles and pull myself back up straight. Same with if I start to fall to the left or right. I am very proud of all the work that I have been able to do because of physical therapy.

The physical therapy that I receive is private pay. That means that I pay for every visit with the therapist. Unfortunately, insurance will not pay for physical therapy. With most cases insurance will only pay for a couple of months of therapy directly after the persons injury/accident. That's what happened to me. I was able to get two months (16 visits) of physical therapy paid for. I went to the Courage Center to complete my therapy. After that I was on my own to pay for therapy.

This is very difficult for the people who do not have the funds to pay for physical therapy. They spend the majority of their life with extremely tight muscles, making it difficult for them to be moved and transferred. They also experience great pain due to their tightness and end up taking pain pills to try to alleviate pain. I am very lucky to be able to pay for my physical therapy. However, this may not be the case forever.

I recommend physical therapy for anyone who has a disability and has trouble moving themselves, has tight muscles or needs help with strengthening.

Jenni

"To believe in yourself and follow your dreams, to have goals in life and a drive to succeed, to surround yourself with the things and the people that make you happy-this is success!"
-Sasha Azevedo

I Believe In Angels

Angels, Angels Everywhere

There are angels all around,
way up high, down to the ground.
Wearing long, white, flowing dresses,
hair in buns, all full of messes.
Wings fluttering, hands and feet steady,
I think they know, to see them I am ready.
Back and forth, to and fro,
these angels fly high and low.
They bring life, love, and joy to all,
helping us heal, avoiding a fall.
They guide us through the year round,
careful not to make a sound.
Goosebumps trigger when they are near,
but usually they don't appear.
Angels can come in forms of light,
if you see them, no need for fright.
Flashes of spirit, not pain,
think of the feelings you will gain.
There are always spirit guides,
angels to protect you.
When you're sad, lonely, or angry,
just call on them to do.
One doesn't know how dedicated they are,
on those days of loneliness, your angels are not far.
-Jenni Taylor

This is a poem I wrote a couple of years ago about angels. I do believe in angels and spirits. I also collect various angel trinkets around my room. The picture above is of a display I have hanging above my bed.

Jenni

Happy 4th of July!

I went to the pet store today. I got some things for my birds and some treats for my cats. I was outside before that watching my mom paint a bench. It's kind of a cloudy day. It sprinkled this morning and it just down poured rain like 20 minutes ago. Now everything is all wet including the bench. I think it will be okay though.

I won't be out watching fireworks tonight. Maybe I'll watch them on TV. Anyways, I hope everyone is having a good Fourth of July. Whether you're spending it at your cabin up north or with family at your home.

Jenni

Watercolor Paintings

Below are some pictures of my latest watercolor paintings. These are ones I've done on my own in the last couple of months. I'm very proud of all the work I've been doing. Every painting is different. I am hoping to start making copies of my paintings and selling them. I also would like to make them into greeting cards as they are easier to sell.





I'm not quite done with the landscape one.

When I finish a piece from my watercolor class I will post that as well. Let me know what you think.

Jenni

Standing Frame

I thought I would give an update on my standing since it's been a while. The last couple of months I've been going in my stander 2 to 3 times a week. I no longer do it with physical therapy; my nurses and PCA's are now trained in and are able to help me with it. This leaves more time for stretching and strengthening in physical therapy. I also was able to cut down on physical therapy from four times a week to three.

When I first started using the standing frame last year, it took me many times before I was able to get up to 90°. My body had to get used to standing again. My blood pressure would drop as well making it harder to stand for long. After a while, I began to get used to it and was able to get up to 90° and also stand for a longer period of time.

For some reason in the past few months I hadn't been able to get up to 90°. In fact I was only able to get up to about 60°-70° before my blood pressure would drop and I had to go down. Plus, it took me about 30 to 40 minutes before I could even get up to that. Yesterday, I was in the stander for about an hour. I was so excited because for the last 15 minutes I was able to be up at 90°. I probably could have stayed longer because my blood pressure was still fine except that I got too tired and that's why I chose to sit back down.

I don't know why or how I was able to get up to 90°. I went in the stander this morning and was only able to get up to about 65°. I'm hoping I'll have many more days like yesterday. I thought that the more times I stood the more my body would get used to it and my blood pressure would adjust, but I guess I have to be patient. It's great that I'm even able to stand in the first place. The other thing is that 60° is still weight-bearing, so even if I don't get up all the way every time it's okay.

Jenni

Goal

Wow! Over 8000 visitors. I'm waiting for the day that the number of visitors hits 10,000. It won't be long now. Maybe I'll have a party. I encourage all of you to pass my blog onto others. The more people that I can share my story with the better!

Thanks for all of your questions and support. You are the reason I keep my blog going.

Jenni