{resolved}

I shall shape my future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no one's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me. Or I can be lost in the maze. My choice. My responsibility. Win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny.

Elder Neil L. Andersen - Never Leave Him

{sean}

"You look past where I am and see all kinds of possibilities. You don't see what the world sees. You look straight inside my heart and find me."

{sean}

"Show me everything you know, take me as far as I can go. Teach me as much as you can. Thanks for never giving up on me"

Children with special needs are like flowers...you never know until they fully bloom what color or how tall or how strong they will be, but adding the ingredient of love will always make them stronger. All buds deserve a chance to bloom.

{sean}

"Wherever you go I will follow. I'm hoping that you know how much I love you. You are my guiding light."

Sean's first words to me this morning were, "You look beautiful." How did I ever get so blessed?

{love}

I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me. Love is knowing all about someone and still wanting to be with them more than any other person. Love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of. Love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they smile at you.

{sean}

"I know you think I drift away from you into my own world, a space where there are no words, no rules. I know you worry about me when I go here, but it's just my way of coping."

{sean}

"I am never alone when you love me. Don't worry so much about me, your strength and love guide me."

{sean}

"When I close my eyes I run with the wind and can be anything I want to be. When I open my eyes I remember I am limited...until I look at you and then I remember I am not dreaming. Your love keeps me strong."

{caregivers}

Chronic illness and disability affect the person who provides care as well as the one who requires it. Caregiving is one of the most challenging jobs any person can do. It is challenging emotionally, fraught with feelings ranging from love to guilt. It is challenging physically, as you use your body to perform tasks your loved one can no longer do. It is challenging financially, as you negotiate staggering medical costs. It is challenging spiritually, as you pursue love and meaning in the face of irrevocable loss.

In recognition and appreciation for your commitment to meeting those challenges, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all caregivers. Thank you for your physical energy, mental discipline, and emotional stamina. Thank you for the courage, heroism, and love that you embody every day. Thank you for all of the wheelchair transfers you perform, all of the meals that you prepare, all of the medications that you keep track of, and the countless acts of compassion you carry out every day. Thank you for the power of your presence. Thank you for refusing to give up when things get hard, or to give in when things get harder. Thank you for strengthening our community by transforming your loved one's life experience. Thank you for all that you do and all that you stand for. I am proud to stand with you.

{genius}

Learn from yesterday

Live for today

Hope for tomorrow



-Albert Einstein

{viagra}

Viagra May be Heart Helper in DMD

The erectile-dysfunction drug sildenafil (Viagra) conferred heart protection and reversal of heart-muscle damage in Duchenne muscular dystrophy research mice.



Viagra, informally referred to as "the little blue pill," has been shown to benefit the hearts of mice with a disease resembling Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

* Results from a new study show that the erectile-dysfunction drug sildenafil imparts cardioprotective effects in mice with both an early- and late-stage DMD-like disease.
* Sildenafil belongs to a class of drugs called phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, which relax the smooth muscles lining blood vessels, increasing blood flow to muscles and the heart.
* The new findings, along with the results from several previous studies, suggest that PDE5 inhibitors may be effective treatments for DMD- and BMD-associated cardiomyopathy.
* PDE5 inhibitors already have been FDA-approved for treatment of erectile dysfunction and high blood pressure in humans; this may speed the testing and approval process for their use as a treatment in muscular dystrophy.

The results from these studies suggest that PDE5 inhibitors like sildenafil and tadalafil may be effective treatments for DMD- and BMD-associated cardiomyopathy, both in the early and late stages of the diseases.

More testing will be needed, however, to determine the precise way in which these drugs impart cardioprotective effects.

Although PDE5 inhibitors ultimately will not cure DMD, current studies suggest the possibility that they may be used in combination with other current or future therapies, say the study authors, noting that "targeting skeletal muscle repair without cardiac treatment exacerbates damage to the heart, emphasizing the importance for a cardiac-specific treatment."

Because PDE5 inhibitors already have been FDA-approved for use in humans, the testing and approval process for their use as a treatment in muscular dystrophy potentially may be shorter than for an experimental treatment.

{which movie love story is my life?}

Serendipity
A fortunate accident

Actually, I have never seen this movie so I have no idea if this is true...

{which city do I belong in?}

Denver, Colorado

This seemingly boring cow town is anything but. It features the best mountains in America, and its people lead healthy, active lifestyles.

{which high school stereotype am i?}

I am an Ugly Duckling. I am sweet and shy. I am very self-conscious, avoiding attention, trying not to be noticed. I work at pleasing others, even if I am hurt in the process. I do my best to look nice and keep up with the latest styles, but I can never get it right. Others pick on me and others feel sorry for me. I may not get everything I want, but I know who I am.

{which harry potter character am i?}

Narcissa Malfoy
Strong, determined, willful. People may view me as a pushover, but I most certainly am not. I like to fit in with the situation that best suits my survival. I never really go against anyone, and am with very few. Those I do let in are very dear to me and I would do anything to protect them, even if that meant climbing out of my comfort zone. I sometimes make the wrong decisions because I wish to be with those I care about, but in my minds eye, if if helps them it is the right thing.

{happy birthday bella}

Celebrate Bella Swan's birthday with a limited edition deluxe collection of all things "Bella":

* Mortal Glow in Swoon
* Femme Fatale lip gloss in '53 chevy
* Bella color palette
* Nox Twilight nail polishes in Chiffon & Sangria
* Twilight Venom Blush lip stain

http://twilightbeauty.com

{august}

Stansbury Island

Grantsville



Stansbury Park

Tooele




Antelope Island


Great Salt Lake

{olympic peninsula}

Here are some actual photos of Forks, Washington and the surrounding area taken by my sister-in-law Jennifer Anderson Marriott on her recent trip. Can you guess what these places are in the world of twilight?

{nightlight}

I read nightlight: a parody this month and shared it with as many people as I could.

About three things I was absolutely certain.

First, Edwart was most likely my soul mate, maybe.

Second, there was a vampire part of him - which I assumed was wildly out of his control - that wanted me dead.

And third, I unconditionally, irrevocably, impenetrably, heterogeneously, and disreputably wished he had kissed me.

Want to read more of this romance, danger, insufficient parental guardianship, creepy stalkerlike behavior, and a vampire prom? You can read the first chapter here

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5217123/1/Nightlight_A_Twilight_Parody

There are also funny parody videos on YouTube if you need more.

Yes, it's juvenile. You've been warned.

{The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane}

Sean and I read this book together this month.

Once, there was a china rabbit who was loved by a little girl. The rabbit went on an ocean journey and fell overboard and was rescued by a fisherman. He was buried under garbage and unburied by a dog. He traveled for a long time with the hoboes and worked for a short time as a scarecrow.

Once, there was a rabbit who loved a little girl and watched her die.

The rabbit danced on the streets of Memphis. His head was broken open in a diner and was put together again by a doll mender.

And the rabbit swore that he would not make the mistake of loving again.

Once there was a rabbit who danced in a garden in springtime with the daughter of the woman who had loved him at the beginning of his journey. The girl swung the rabbit as she danced in circles. Sometimes, they went so fast, the two of them, that it seemed as if they were flying. Sometimes, it seemed as if they both had wings.

Once, oh marvelous once, there was a rabbit who found his way home.

To learn more visit http://www.edwardtulane.com/

{july}

West Desert

Antelope Island








Grantsville

Stansbury Island



Great Salt Lake























Tooele







Stansbury Park