One with Nature

Memorial Day is a federal holiday that is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. It's also a big weekend where people take time to spend with family and friends, doing a lot of outdoor activities. Also, going "up north" (anywhere north of the Twin Cities) as we call it in Minnesota is common.

Today I went for a roll in Wayzata with my aunt, Sandy and sister, Kristen. First, we stopped at Starbucks and got drinks and then headed down a path around part of Lake Minnetonka. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people boating, fishing, swimming biking etc. We were out for a couple of hours just people watching and enjoying the sunshine.

I love going outside and prefer to be in the sun. Some days I'll sit directly in the sun for hours. Although, my skin is extremely sensitive so I have to be very careful and wear sunscreen all the time. My face and arms will get really red even if I've only been outside for 10 min. in the sun. I think a lot of it has to do with the medications I'm on; they can cause my skin to be hypersensitive and I burn easily. One thing that's interesting is that most people in my situation don't sweat below their injury, but I do. My back and feet do the most but those are the places that I also wear braces. I'm probably able to sweat because my injury is incomplete.

I've written blog posts before mentioning my backyard and the beautiful forest that surrounds my house. We live on an acre, and our property backs up to a forest filled park with a nature trail. That guarantees that no one will ever build behind or around us. I enjoy watching the animals and just listening to nature; it's so peaceful and relaxing. It doesn't matter what season it is, there's always something to see and hear.

I also love all of the plants and flowers. I like to have people take pictures of them and the animals. My mom plants a lot of things each spring; that also includes a garden with all sorts of vegetables and some fruit. I've posted some good photos of my yard, house, plants and animals that I've taken over the years.

Female turkey in the tree

Raccoon taking a snooze in broad daylight

This is my favorite picture of a tree frog on a Black-Eyed Susan in our front yard

Dear in the woods

Monarch butterfly that I released

Two pairs of ducks swimming in the marsh

Goose reflection shot

Two woodchucks chowing down on some corn

My backyard

Fire pit and woods in my backyard

Flower shot

Flower shot II

Before my accident I loved going fishing, hiking and canoeing. Basically any outdoor activity that involved nature I was doing. I went to a YMCA camp in Amery, Wisconsin for seven summers straight and was going to be a counselor there. I've gone back to the camp to visit a couple of times since.

Jenni

Why I Blog

I've been thinking lately about reasons why I blog. First, it's important to know that everything I say is true to me and my feelings. My goal is to share my story, giving others a glimpse into the life of a quadriplegic. I want to educate others about people with disabilities and tell those looking from the outside that there is nothing to fear or be afraid about. No question is a dumb question. In fact, I encourage people to ask and explore their thoughts with me. All of these are reasons why I started to blog about my life.

Before reading a friend's blog, I had no idea what one was. I was intrigued by the number of readers and how many people commented on the post. I was also interested in finding out how to go about setting one up. I've always loved writing, especially about myself, so I figured blogging wouldn't be too difficult. After researching a little bit about blogs in general, I started creating mine in September 2008.

After figuring out a name and design, I made it live by October. I didn't know what to expect and hadn't a clue the responses I would get. Pretty soon the number of visitors started rising and I realized I was reaching people across the world. I never imagined I would be receiving comments and e-mails from others in similar situations just looking for support and someone to relate to. While starting to realize the impact I was making, I became addicted to blogging. I began opening up more about my life and writing in more detail.

I knew quickly how important and special this blog was becoming; this is what I stated in a post a couple weeks after starting it up:

"I love this blog! It feels good to be able to express myself while others become inspired by me. It is so much fun to post my writings and opinions. The first month was going to be a trial to see how I liked it. Obviously, this blog isn't going anywhere soon. I'm excited to say that I am going to keep this running as long as possible."

Keep the comments and questions coming!

Jenni

"All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people."
-Alexis Car

A Look into School and a Job

It feels so good to be done with spring semester. My first summer class starts at the end of this month and I'm actually looking forward to it. Even though I like being stress-free and not having to worry about homework deadlines, I do like to stay busy. School has always been one thing that's constant and consistent. That's probably what this keeps me motivated to keep going, along with the feeling I'll get when I finally have a degree and will be looking for a job. I know I've talked a lot about school lately but I'm excited about the progress and accomplishments I've made.

At the time of the accident, I was two months into my sophomore year of high school. While in the hospital, I finished up two classes that I was taking. I tried to go back to school after I got home towards the end of my sophomore year but decided I wasn't ready. I went back my junior year and ended up graduating on time with my class in June 2005; that was something I was shooting for, but didn't know if it would happen. I signed up for one class at Normandale fall 2005, but after two weeks of attending I withdrew from the class. I've officially been going there since fall 2006 just taking one or two classes at the time (which is all that I can usually handle in my busy life).

Throughout the past seven years, my sole experience with working has been one job that lasted through two summers. It was with Intermediate District 287 doing data entry, spreadsheets and art design. All other experience I have has been volunteering; this includes public speaking, working with children, Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2011, advocating etc. I would love to do an internship somewhere to get even more experience within the communications field. However, I'm definitely eager to find a job that pays.

Right now I'm working on revising my resume so I can start distribution whenever needed. I'm also going to get new business cards to give out. I think the best thing one can do is market themselves and find contacts whenever possible. Even though I'm not planning on working quite yet, it will be good to create relationships with others and get my name out. That way when I do start looking for a job I'll know exactly what I want and who I should connect with. I'm eager to get into the work field but I know I have to finish getting my degree's first.

I've often thought about getting a part-time job so I could get paid versus all of the volunteering I do, but I'm not sure what type of position would suit me right now. Plus, it may be difficult for me to juggle classes and a career at the same time. I'm already very busy so adding 20 hours a week for work would probably be very difficult. Maybe I could start out with a few hours a week and work my way up; I'll just have to keep my options open.

For now, I'm enjoying my time relaxing and sitting in the sun with no worries or stress; the only work I'm doing now is on my tan!

Jenni

Happy Mother's Day!

Amazing Mother

Brought life into this world

Cherished every given moment

Sweet memories of bliss

Generosity and kindness throughout

Gave love to others

Caretaker to all around

Dedication within the family

Sacrifices made for children

Amazing mother of mine

-Jenni Taylor

There's an End in Sight

Spring semester at Normandale ends after next week. I'm glad I will be done with my Intro to Short Stories class soon. I only need 10 more credits (three classes) and then I'll have enough to graduate with my Associates in Arts with an Emphasis in Communications at the end of fall semester.

I signed up for summer classes a few weeks ago. There are two summer sessions, each one month long. The first session goes from May 29-June 29 and I'll be taking Cultural Anthropology which meets one of my transfer goals. That's the only class that seemed somewhat interesting compared to the other history type classes. Then, I'll be taking Intro to Marketing for the second session which goes from July 2-August 3. This will be an elective although I'm not quite sure how much I'll like it; I hope it's not boring. I thought it could be of some use if I want to be able to market myself in the future.

Registration opened last week for fall classes already so I got that out of the way as well. I signed up for Geology which meets my science with a lab goal; that will meet at Normandale Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I haven't taken a class yet where I've gone three days a week so I'm interested to see how I'll hold up. I'm sure it won't be too bad. Even though the three classes I signed up for are enough to graduate, I did add Public Relations online also in the fall.

I can't believe my graduation from Normandale is this year! I've been attending since fall of 2006, just taking one or two classes at a time. This will be a huge accomplishment, alongside of graduating high school on time with my class. My plans are to go on with school to get my bachelors in Personal Communications. I just recently figured that out; before I didn't know what I was going to do afterwards. Metro State in Minneapolis has a good program where I can choose which track I want, and I'm going to do public relations. I've looked into a lot of jobs in this field and it's definitely something I have taken interest in.

My general interest in PR came just in the last year, since becoming Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2011. During my reign, I had to do all my own researching, publicizing and contacting news coverage. I was able to get my story published in three newspapers and one online paper. I also wrote (and read others) blog posts in different areas about everything I did. Besides attending events and speaking, being able to promote myself to others was one of my favorite things I did.

Jenni

Podcast!

Listen to my podcast on the BeautyAbility blog! Tiffany interviews me about my life and how I'm dealing with my disability. Click on the link below and then click play…

http://www.beautyability.com/2.0/2012/04/29/podcast-85-a-vent-no-big/

Jenni

Phone Calls and Speaking

The other day I was making a doctor's appointment. This is how the conversation ended:

Receptionist: "Is everything okay?"

Me: "Yes, why?"

Receptionist: "Oh, because you sound a little out of breath!"

Me: "I'm on a vent…"

Receptionist: "That explains it then! Anything else I can do for you?"

Me: "No that will be all. Thanks."

I couldn't stop laughing when I hung up. It actually doesn't bother me too much. I've always thought about if other people can tell I'm on a vent when we're on the phone. I make all my own phone calls to doctors' offices, transportation services, supply companies, medical equipment suppliers etc. I guess unless they've met me or are provided detailed info on me, they probably don't know that I'm a quadriplegic paralyzed from the neck down and on a ventilator. One of the things with talking to people on the phone is that they can't judge based on appearance because it's just my voice.

Unlike some people in my situation, my voice is very clear and loud as opposed to soft spoken and broken up. Occasionally I may pause for a breath but most of the time I can hold enough air in to talk between them. The sound of my voice does get a little softer at that point and then louder when I receive a breath, but overall you can still hear me. I tend to say uh or um a lot when talking because if I'm waiting for breath I don't want the other person to think that I'm not on the phone anymore. It's also the same when I'm in conversation with someone or public speaking. The story must go on, so I guess that's my way of keeping it going with pauses. I was always told to avoid those two words when talking, especially giving speeches. I try not to say anything and just let the break in my sentence happen but it's hard when I've been doing it for so long. That's something I plan to work on.

In the meantime, I'm still going to continue to speak because that's my means of communication. Whether it's on the phone, to someone specific or a group of people, talking is what I love to do. My voice is especially important for giving directions. As many of you may know, I have 24/7 nursing in which they help me with my every need. I direct all my own cares and tell whoever is helping me my preferences on how I like things done.

So anyway, now that I've created this blog post by voice using speech recognition software I will say "that's all folks" into the microphone.

Jenni

Speaking at Hopkins High School

Yesterday I spoke to a class called Peer Insights at Hopkins High School. I hadn't been there since my graduation in 2005. It was weird going back and seeing all the changes that had been made. Memories came flooding back to me as I rolled down the halls to the classroom. I took the same class when I was a junior there and it was by far my favorite. It is designed to integrate people with disabilities and their peers; it is a great concept that gives insight to all types of situations. When I took it, we went on field trips, had guest speakers and did a lot of fun activities.

Upon approaching the class, I was welcomed with open arms as everyone was eager to hear me speak. I shared my story and talked about the challenges I've been through and the obstacles I have overcome. I also spoke about how I continue to stay positive despite my situation and what I'm doing now. They had tons of questions and I showed them my vent and how I move my wheelchair. Then I asked them to share their stories of any challenges or things in their life that they have gone through. I was delighted when hands went up and it was interesting to hear their stories.

Being at the high school was also somewhat of an emotional experience for me. At the age of 16, I was two months into my sophomore year there when my accident happened. After spending six months in the hospital and adjusting to life in a wheelchair with a disability, I went back my junior year. The long days were tough and learning how to be independent while others were assisting me with my every need was weighing on me. My positivity and determination over shined the struggles and I was able to make it through. I graduated on time with my class on June 7, 2005. When I went on the stage to collect my diploma I received a standing ovation, causing emotions to pour out as I sat facing the crowd on their feet. I'm proud of everything I've accomplished so far in my life and look forward to the many things to come.

I encourage those of you reading this to take a step back and acknowledge the challenges, tough times, obstacles, or other things in your life that you have or are facing. Think about the ways you dealt or coped to get through. If you are experiencing situations now in which you are searching for ways to overcome think positive, knowing that there are others out there for support and help.

Jenni

A Creed to Live by

Don't undermine your worth by comparing

yourself with others.

It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don't set your goals by what other people

deem important.

Only you know what is best for you.

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.

Cling to them as you would your life, for without them

life is meaningless.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers

by living in the past or for the future.

By living your life one day at a time,

you live all the days of your life.

Don't give up when you still have something to give.

Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don't stew be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect.

It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks.

It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find.

The quickest way to receive love is to give love.

The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly;

and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don't dismiss your dreams.

To be without dreams is to be without hope;

to be without hope is to be without purpose.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget

not only where you've been, but also where you're going.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored

each step of the way.

Nancye Sims

Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2012 Pageant

At the Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2012 pageant after a year of hard work and advocacy as Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2011!

Me giving my farewell speech at the Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2012 pageant

Monday, April 2 was the Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2012 pageant. There were five amazing contestants and each of them had a platform that they gave a speech on. The contestants came in early for hair and makeup, had their 15 min. interviews, and then after their platform speech they were asked one final question before the winner was announced. I gave a farewell speech and showed a slide show that comprised pictures of things I did throughout the past year.

The contestants

This year's pageant was a little different compared to last year and they incorporated a few new things. Since Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota is a nonprofit organization, they do fundraising to help get the title holder to nationals and events throughout her reign. At the 2012 pageant they had a dinner in which people could purchase tickets for, a silent auction, and a raffle; companies could also sponsor tables

My year as Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2011 was filled with events, speeches and some great opportunities that I wouldn't have done otherwise had I not won. I took my first plane ride since my accident to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the national competition where I received forth runner-up.

I got the chance to inspire and motivate others by speaking to all ages and attending events with my crown and sash. I've also changed a lot (in a good way) over the past 12 months. My wardrobe went from sweatshirts and sweatpants to jeans, sweaters, and business attire. Since nationals in August, I figured out that I could stay up in my wheelchair past 5 PM. Now I don't get back into bed until at least 7:30 PM if not later. This makes my life more enriched and flexible because I'm not bound to a certain routine anymore.

It was a little sad knowing that my year was up, but I was pleased to pass the title over and give someone else a chance to experience the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I was able to. Like I said before, I enjoyed every minute and the end was bittersweet. I will never forget the things I did and the people I touched throughout my reign.



The first runner-up went to Paula Gleisberg. Her speech was great and I'm very proud of her! I've known Paula since high school and we've been friends ever since. Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2012 is Jen Onsum, who is an amazing young woman and I know will do our state proud! Her platform is "Activity is enriching."

Paula Gleisberg, first runner-up

Jen Onsum, Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2012

From her biography-"Jen Onsum is an active and determined 31-year-old from Brooklyn Park. Living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Jen hasn’t let her disability stop her from her achieving whatever her mind is set on achieving. She is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas, where she earned a Bachelor’s in Journalism / Public Relations. After working in PR for a few years, Jen decided to follow her true passion of healthcare and is completing a degree in Health Information through M State. Jen enjoys volunteering with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, traveling, dancing and playing PowerHockey."

I've posted some pictures of the event. Thank you to everyone who supported and helped me throughout this journey… I truly appreciate it!

Jenni