turkeycraft

On days such as today, many people are thankful, or bring what they are thankful for to the forefront of their minds.  In my Girls’ group at church, we are supposed to journal every day in November with different prompts on the things for which we are thankful.   

Why not make a habit of keeping thankfulness to every day, and developing an ‘attitude of gratitude’?  (I know most of us feel like we can do this around this time of year)

“Gratitude shows us what’s there instead of what isn’t”

-Interstate Van Lines billboard

I am thankful for many things everyday; that’s how I think everyone should look at life.  This is probably the reason that I am always the one asked to say the blessing over our thanksgiving meal.  

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THANKFUL

  • MY LIFE! Through the horrible near death car accident I was in resulting in a traumatic brain injury- God allowed me to pull through

  • MY FAMILY- Matt and Chazz the dog; and extended- Mom, Dad; Uncle Pat; brother Ryan, Jess; in-laws Otto, Nancy; brother in law David, Cixin + Arissa Aiden 
  • CLOSE FRIENDS THAT SEEM LIKE FAMILY; the people from MY CHURCH- And the groups that I’m involved in:
    • Girl’s group (teenage girls I help out with)
    • Prayer Shawl Ministry (the knitting/crocheting group that I organize)
    • MOMS [Mothers and Others in Mission and Study] group at church
      (women my age, who do bible studies, fellowship, and mission projects)
    • A group of young women who get together at Peet’s coffee on Thursday nights to knit/crochet

OUR CUTE TOWNHOUSE, ability to live in the United States, one of the wealthiest companies in the world

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET MY STORY OUT THERE:

thank

To Order the book with my story ORDER HERE ON AMAZON

#whyimthankful

thankfulyou

 

 

 

Posted on November 24, 2016 by Danielle! | Leave a comment

This was the weekend.  The weekend our Christmas trees and decorations always emerge from the attic. 

Of course, we stayed in on Saturday night to watch the “Christmas Cookie” on the Hallmark channel (I’m kind of a Christmas nut- anything to decorate for the seasons).  Our “date night” on Friday we went to  see a Christmas tree lighting at Fairfax Corner,wp-1479750029966.jpg and that kind of set the mood.  The cold weather on Sunday really did it and made a definable chili eating night.

I convinced my husband to help decorate the outside of the house on that chilly Sunday, because while we were walking our dog on Saturday afternoon, we saw another house down the street putting up major decorations.  I guess someone else doesn’t think it’s too early!

 

 

In my defense, it is only a FEW days before Thanksgiving, our family’s big celebration is not held at my house and if not now, how are we supposed to get in the mood??

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Danielle! | Leave a comment

C’est la Vie

 Sometimes life sucks, and circumstances suck, but that’s life. There’s nothing else you can say or do about it.  I, of all people, think I know that best. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Sigh.

 In 1997, there was an awful car accident between a Jeep Cherokee and another car driven by a young guy, speeding around a corner. The young girl in the Jeep was driving a friend home after a cheerleading performance. The car accident happened on the first Saturday morning after the new school year had started.

 I’m the 16-year-old girl in the Jeep, the young traumatic brain injury survivor. The accident put me in a comatose state from which I woke up 2½ months later, right before Thanksgiving.

 I turned my car left, past a lane of oncoming traffic when another car came around the corner and didn’t see me in time. I was told the 19-year-old driver slammed into the driver’s side and flipped my Jeep over. I had to be cut from the car by the “jaws of life.”  However, I don’t remember because I was unconscious upon impact. It was only 10:30 in the morning, but I do remember some things that already happened that day. I remember that the grass was wet with the early morning dew, and the girls who were on the top for the stunts had to have the bottoms of their shoes towel dried, and then be carried around by other cheerleaders. When my friend asked for a ride home, I remembered saying that I wasn’t allowed to drive with other people in the car yet.  I changed my mind, and almost insisted on driving her home; I was still excited I could drive, and wanted to show her that I can. I remember putting on my seatbelt.
After
being in the ICU for nearly a month, I was transported to Kluge’s Children’s Rehabilitation Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. My parents did not know what to think—the doctors and specialists were telling them everything from: I’d never wake up, if I did, I’d be in a vegetative state, to I’d be totally fine. No one knows what to say with a brain injury because the brain is so complex.

Even though life continued for all of my classmates, they hadn’t forgotten me. All my friends were at Fairfax Hospital when I was in the ICU, and a lot of my friends came to visit me in the rehab hospital in Charlottesville. This included friends from my cheerleading all-star squad, the boys that were on the baseball team at my high school and my closest friend who was the maid of honor at my wedding 10 years later, so my hospital room was the place to be on the weekends. Just kidding, but I did get a lot of visitors. My hospital room was covered with cards and stuffed animals, plus both of my cheerleading squads made me get-well banners.

 

survivingbraininjurycover

 

order online:
SURVIVING BRAIN INJURY

 

(I’m chapter 23!)

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#survivingbraininjury

 

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Danielle! | 1 Comment

This beautiful Thankful Thursday 

that actually felt like fall, 

as I sat outside on my parents’ front porch and felt the cool breeze whipping my hair around my shoulders, I felt total contentment.

That feeling soon changed after I got home.  It was dusk  already- that time when you think it’s going to stay light enough to finish walking down this path in the woods with your dog, but then realize it is already dark as you try to hurry home.  That was me.  That threw the game off, and I couldn’t figure out what to eat without guidance.  I kept talking in circles over the dinner that my husband had made for us, calling my friend while trying to get our plans for tomorrow straight and coordinated with my other 2 friends, and was just like “BLAH, I don’t know what’s wrong, I don’t know.  I feel like…I don’t know.”   [My husband thinks thats all i ever say now, ‘I don’t know’ and ‘whatever’]  I guess I really felt like I didn’t have a purpose.  Before going to bed at an insanely early time (for me) I check my phone, find an email from my ‘supervisor’ at the Longwood University Alumni Association for which I write blogs, I was AND STILL AM thrilled that she liked my last post I wrote for Longwood, and was able to re-find my purpose.  My purpose right now is to spread joy, while telling others of my life experiences through the very difficult high school experience that I had (as if everyone else’s high school experience was anything BUT difficult)

Thinking about the next day, I put the baby blanket that I had crocheted for my friend through the washer to give to her at lunch that day, when I realized I really should STAMP OUT a handmade card for her when my friend and I see her.  And then I realized what I am thankful for; I am thankful for the ABILITY TO STILL CREATE THINGS WITH MY BY MYSELF WITH MY HANDS.  When I was in my awful car accident so long ago, no one knew what would become of me, if I would be able to function independently.  I am so thankfully appreciative that I am able to do all this, graduated college, went on to hold down a job for nearly a decade- spreading joy through working with those at a nursing home and now through volunteering at my church, working with the high school girls, babysitting when needed and being a friend.    I am thankful for doing cute things like creating baby blankets and creating homemade cards.

contentment-post

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Danielle! | Leave a comment

So, WHATEVER Wednesday;

I woke up totally appalled when I checked my phone.  “I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime, but I think the Apocalypse is beginning.”  My husband laughed but I genuinely meant it.  I couldn’t believe when I found out that Donald Trump won as the position of president of the United States.  I was shocked and dumbfounded all yesterday morning.  God was even crying.  It was raining very hard, my dog could only run out back really quickly.  After I posted an appalled blog post that I found online from the Huffington Post, put it in my FB feed, and said something about the apocalypse. My husband was so worried about me, that he called hours later to see how I was doing.

By that time, the sunsun had come out, and I had decided to take Chazz out on a big long walk to ward away the depression.  We walked around for about an hour in the neighborhood, and then played with a hyper Chazz in the basement.   When I returned upstairs, Access Hollywood was beginning, so I avoided most of the Trump talk; of course and then my favorite mindless show Days of our Lives.  I Decided to make pumpkin bread to cheer up, then after DooL- turned on a
Christmas movie!  A little early, I know-but it put me in a MUCH better mood.  After the movie, things were of course looking up, my friend Jane (who lives right near me) picked me up to go to the church for dinner and Girls’ group.  I am very thankful for the comfort and companionship of the girls’; we shared our weeks’ highs and lows, and what we are thankful for; oh, and of ccourse I’m thankful for pumpkin bread!!

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Danielle! | Leave a comment

Today, my hubby and I went to vote for our presidential candidate, saw my friend Danny Reip with a box o’ coffee, tweeted this into Fox 5, and got put on TV!  #toocool!  

even got a cuppa STARBUCKS coffee for voting!

And my friend Melissa picked me up- and now we’re working at STARBUCKS! [my 3rd cup o coffee for the day!!] 

I am very thankful for my good friends who notified me on Facebook that they saw my tweet on the news- I didn’t even see it; I must have been busy getting ready to get out of the house and out for coffee! And thankful yet again am I for my good friends, who go with me to Starbucks to “work” [She works, and I do too; but my attention gets away from time to time], and then for friends who think of me when its lunchtime, and need a break from studying…she texted me and we all got together to go to a restaurant close to the coffee place.  

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I am always thankful for my little doggie Chazz, for taking me and Melissa on a long walk in my neighborhood.  I am very thankful for all the friends in my life.

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Danielle! | Leave a comment

Star Wars Lego movie

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Danielle!

I had a great time babysitting today– the afternoon was refreshing even not to be caught up in the news of the ugliest and crudest presidential election ever.  Plastered with rudeness and scandal, mostly on behalf of one candidate with the complexion of a tangerine, the onslaught of negative commercials sandwiched between news coverage of an adult fight with political parties acting like children (Trump).  Looking after the two well behaved boys and watching the Lego movie was a welcome break from all the stress and complete nastiness that has monopolized the news for the past week.  On my refreshing walk home I was able to enjoy the beautiful changing colors of the leaves before returning to my living room where the drone of disgusting commercials played until Chazz begged me to change the channel.  We watched Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel for the rest of the afternoon.  Being able to enjoy the company of a 5 year old and his 3yo brother and figuring out the storyline behind Star Wars was really fun and a true break from reality.

Thank God tomorrow is election day and this joke of a presidential campaign will be over.  Or maybe not, according to an article in the Huffington Post.  Huffington Post article

Posted in inner reflection | Leave a comment

One of our favorite things to do as a couple is cooking together!  When the weather turns cold, our fave recipe to make is a big pot of chili.  I love it all, going to the grocery store to get the different ingredients, chopping the peppers, opening the cans, pouring in all the spices and tstock-photo-tasty-spicy-chilihen of course the test tasting/spicing stage.  While my husband’s chopping, I’m putting together ingredients for the corn bread.  Corn bread is very comforting and always tastes better on a chilly night.

 

 

 

That’s another thing, we make chili on Saturday night expecting a cooler week, and then the weather is beautiful on Sunday!  It is a little chilly during the day, but the outlook for this week looks pretty mild.  We had made a lot of chili, so decided to freeze much of it. Good news!  It looks like NEXT weekend it will finally be expecting lows in the 30 degrees. This crazy weather makes it so difficult to get into the proper seasonal moods, I’m just thankful in November it can finally start feeling like November.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Danielle! | 1 Comment

10-4flag 10-4elwood

What was that Mr. Pence (the republican vice presidential nominee under Donald Trump for president)?  Did you just call the greatest small town university by the WRONG NAME?

OK, so I guess that tells you the ultimate winner of that debate.  This occurred during a great debate, the ONLY vice presidential debate of the election- and it was held at our great school in Farmville, Va- LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY.  The democratic nominee for Vice president is none other than Tim Kaine, the senator of Virginia.  He’s a lesser known candidate (probably not to us living in Virginia, since we personally nominated him) and no one has heard of David Pence.  At least no one except those living in Indiana, but I guess that’s how it normally goes for vice presidential candidates.  Pence seems more level-headed than his running mate Donald Trump, almost his polar opposite-the yin to Trump’s yang.

During the VP debate party at my house, there was more catching up with Longwood friends than listening to the actual debate.  I heard the abruptness that Tim Kaine was grilling David Pence about his running mate Donald Trump and Trump’s erratic and often unpredictable-ness of his campaign.  Of course, Mike Pence tried to avoid the questions as much as possible, and that was definitely noticed and discussed by the attendants at my party, contradicting views, Pence not really knowing the facts about his running mate and skirting the real issues.

10-4bingo

BUT THAT WASN’T WHAT WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT AT ALL!  We were catching up with our alumni friends, and consumed with playing BINGO!   Yes, VP PRES DEBATE BINGO!

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We were concentrating so hard on picking out the individual words needed to get a true BINGO!

Staying true to the Therapeutic Recreation degree that the majority of the attendees earned, we improvised and used Hershey kisses in lieu of poker chips.  The members at the party could not believe how much the campus had changed over the past 15 years (Now I sound SO OLD!) when the camera was spanning the campus in the first two minutes.  My freshman year, there were still streets running through the middle of the campus and Awould see cars driving through!  I had to hold up my other hand (the one without the cane) when I was crossing the street to let the cars on the street know that I was still crossing!  The campus was under major renovations when I was attending school.  At the end of my freshman year was the Great fire of 2001, which created even more reconstruction.  Since Meghan, Lorie and I had all graduated with therapeutic degrees, the majority of our classes were in Lancer building, where the debate was held, now renamed Willet hall.

During the entire debate, my basement was a whirlwind of chatter, catching up with old friends and what we’d been up to lately while trying to frantically post to social media (OK, I guess I was the only person trying to post frantically) It was hard paying attention and catching the words through all of our socializing and reminiscing about our college days while admiring how much the school has transformed since graduation.  However, we had plenty of snacks and candy to go around!

Danielle’s Debate Guac

  • 2 medium avacados
  • 1 can diced tomatos and chiles
  • 1 T lime juice
  • a bit of cilantro
  • Himalayan salt (to taste)

Slice avacados in half, remove pit and scoop out flesh with a fork, mash until blended roughly; add can of diced tomatoes,   add lime juice and cilantro and sprinkle with salt.

Enjoy with tortilla chips and good friends!!

 

Posted on November 5, 2016 by Danielle! | Leave a comment

WHAT ELSE TO BE THANKFUL FOR THAN ANOTHER FRIDAY?!?

Maybe it’s finding a friend to go have #COFFEE with! (…and then go shopping with at TRADER JOE’S!)

As we divulge our deepest insecurities and fears [OK, SO THAT WAS JUST ME] I was given a new perspective that instead of being on edge about not working a 9-5 job, it is OK for me to be content with what I’m currently doing.  And I am working, as a professional blogger, busy advocate/writer/dog taker carer of-er/manager of the KARST home AND I also am very active in the ministries & groups at my church.  I am also a LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY graduate, and I have a wide open future in front of me.

 

more caffeine

Nothing is better than a nice cuppa coffee and great company! 

#iamsoaddictedtocaffeine

 

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Danielle! | Leave a comment