A Way to Live

To me, being paralyzed does not mean the end. It can be difficult and challenging at times but I'm able to handle whatever comes my way. I believe my accident happened for a reason. Throughout this journey so far I've met some amazing people and learned new things. My paralysis hasn't limited me or stopped me from pursuing my dreams. There are many things I can do, I just do them differently. I'm not in a stage of depression and don't in any way feel sorry for myself.

I know that there are people in my situation out there who do not have the same feelings. I realize that everybody handles and deals with things in different ways. What may be easy for some may be extremely difficult for another. I'm writing this for those who feel their life is not worth living because of their situation or experiences. I'd like to offer my help in any way possible because I truly believe that things happen for a reason. My goal is to inspire others to live on through change in their life.

Jenni

Celebrating With Joy

Merry Christmas!

Last night we had family over for Christmas Eve. I love when everyone gets together to celebrate. We ate shrimp and ham for dinner and then opened presents. This morning we unwrapped our presents to each other and soon we're going to have more family over. Dinner tonight will be turkey and mashed potatoes (just like we do on Thanksgiving).

It does get overwhelming around the holidays and I get burned out quickly. Entertaining people can be exhausting at times, especially if I'm doing a lot of talking. But I do enjoy the time I can spend with family. A few years ago I wrote this post about Christmas and what it's really about. I thought I'd share it again for all my new readers since then.

The last couple of Christmases, I've kind of been bah humbug about the whole thing. Not because I don't like Christmas, but because I don't like what it has become. I have learned over the years what Christmas is and is not about. It's not about how many gifts you give or receive. It's not about trying to top last year's gift. It's not about the decorations and the flashy wrapping paper. It's not about Santa Claus and his reindeer landing on the top of the house, him coming down the chimney in the middle of the night, eating the cookies left out, and leaving loads of presents behind. I know it is fun to receive and give and decorate and wrap and believe in magic. But it's about the real meaning of Christmas. It's about family and getting together and celebrating the birth of Jesus. It's about the love and passion and the praise that we give and receive on this one day. It has a special meaning to everyone and I think more people need to find their meaning. For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope this year you all can find the true meaning of Christmas in your hearts.

Jenni

Winter Break

I've been studying all week and took my final for my class today. I think I did pretty well on it and am confident I'll get a good grade in the class. Now I'm finally on winter break and don't have to worry about school for almost a month.

I signed up for two classes for Spring semester. The first one is a logic class that I'll be taking at Normandale. The second one is introduction to short stories and it's online. I know it will be a tougher semester for me because of the homework load and reading but I'm up for the challenge.

Now that I have a goal set to graduate fall 2012 with my associates in communications I'm excited to get through and finish up.

Jenni

Standing up Again

The other day I went in my Easystand Stander for the first time in a couple months. I hadn't been doing it because of the pain in my shoulder. It's been feeling a little bit better so I thought I'd try it. I was able to get up to 60° for 10 min., which was more than I expected. I did go up to 70° but after about a minute my blood pressure dropped dramatically and I had to sit back down.

My goal is to start standing twice a week for an hour again. I know it's going to be challenging building up tolerance, but I'm up for it. The benefits that I get are worth the hard work and effort it will take me.

Jenni

Cirque Dreams Holidaze

Yesterday my boyfriend Blake took me to see Cirque Dreams Holidaze at Mystic Lake Casino. It was so much fun to see all the acts and people dressed up in costume. I have seen Cirque Dreams before but never the holiday one. I've also gone to a few Cirque du Soleil performances over the years. Those are amazing to see as well. If you haven't seen any video of either of these you should definitely check them out on YouTube. Here's the trailer for the one we went to. It's very similar to this only they had different people and a few different acts.



Jenni