Leaving Las Vegas

Today September 3, 2017 We are leaving Las Vegas.  Yesterday we our final friends and family BBQ. Our house has been sold,our belongings shipped, and now we begin our trek across the southern states of the USA.

So long Vegas, So long Big and Beautiful mountains...I'm gonna miss you!

Losing Lyme Finding Freedom

I have a friend who was diagnosed with Lyme disease 3 years ago.  She has been sick since she was a young girl, bit it wasn't until after she moved to Las Vegas that she was properly diagnosed.  Lyme disease affects your whole body and can conceal itself as many other illnesses.  I barely knew anything about the disease when Braedy was diagnosed.  As our friendship has grown so has my knowledge of the disease and how it affects her.  Most times people would never know that she is sick because she doesn't complain about anything.  She does what she can on days that she feels alright and doesn't commit herself to many things.

She has been doing okay for the last couple months.  I hesitate to use the word okay because her scale of "ok" is quite different than the average person.  In The last month, however, we are all noticing her health decline. She struggles to sit upright for over 3-4 hours, her brain is getting foggy making talking exhausting, and she has constant body aches and pains.  It's to the point where daily activities like showering, grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, cleaning are difficult.  They MUST be split up, with rest in-between.  If she does too much she'll have to stay in bed to recover.  It's sad to think this is what life is for her.  She wants to do so many things but physically it's just not possible.

Last week, she was given a glimmer of hope.  She was offered a grant for a new hyperthermia treatment that has an 84% recovery rate!  Lyme Disease will never go away but it could go into remission which would mean better days for Braedy.  Unfortunately, even with the grant the treatment costs $10,000.  So we are raising money for her. Asking for help and sharing her story is extremely uncomfortable for her and her husband and right now it seems like the only way she has hope for better days.  She just started a blog so anyone can follow her story Here

If you would like to contribute financially or know someone who may Click Here

Minimalism

Moving overseas requires one to rethink their belongings. Is "it", whatever the item may be, worth the shipping or packing for the trip? Is "it" loved, easily replaced, where does it stand on the scale of necessity?

We purged and purged and will purge some more before we actually start packing what we will bring with us to St Thomas. We sold a bunch of stuff and gave away even more and even though it feels good to let go of consumerism and responsibility there is a piece of me that is sad. We worked hard to attain what we did and now we will go back to nearly nothing, starting over again. I wouldn't consider myself materialistic; I rarely shop purchasing items only with purpose. Is that why I'm sad? Every item I owned had meaning so even though I may not need "it" anymore I value "it". It feels like a piece of me is missing. Oh well. Out with the old in with the new, hahaha

With this cleansing... I release everything of the past; may new journeys and experiences help us to live a more peaceful, joyful, fruitful, and fulfilling life!

Does the box fit?

Today, my friend, Braedy, who is knowledgeable about moving tips offered to help me pack. In preparation for her arrival I decide I would pick up some boxes because I don't have any and clearly you can't pack without boxes.

I thought it was going to be easy...

8x8 pod = nine 12" boxes will fit across and stacked or six 16" boxes. Piece of cake!

Until I walked in to find that boxes don't come just in 12x12x12 and 16x16x16. Most boxes have fractions in the dimensions. For example 12 3/4 x 16 3/4 x 18 7/8. Ahahahahahaha. How the heck am I gonna figure out this one. What idiot decided that box sizes needed fractions. He must have been an advocate for fractions being taught in school. Granted, I am very good with numbers and math, so I can figure out which boxes to purchase to strategically Tetris my pod, but all of a sudden this task of picking up a few boxes became this HUGE math problem.

I stood there for 10 minutes just staring, lol, at allllllllllll the boxes pondering what I am planning to bring to the island, and if it's really worth it. Does my TV need a box? For this move probably, but every other move I've made the TV gets a private ride in the truck.

As I stared blankly at all these boxes in bewilderment I watched a guy go around grabbing a few small, medium, large, a couple mirror boxes, picture boxes, and packing materials. He was done before I had even decided on one box. I think he felt sorry for me and gave me some encouragement that I was over thinking the whole box thing. After I explained the complications of my move he smiled and said," Ah, yes you should probably gather everything you're bringing, measure and diagram the whole pod placement, then come back and buy boxes." Hahahahahahah

I was so relieved that he agreed with my confusion with box buying. A few more long moments passed and then I settled with buying a few small, medium, and large boxes and some tape and headed on my way. At least this way I would be able to pack a few things.

When I got home I was so flustered about the time I wasted picking out boxes and confused on what was really that important to bring that I paced around my house not knowing where to begin. A controlled panic was setting in. " everything will be fine". I told myself...

Braedy came over around 2 o'clock and stayed til after dinner and we accomplished so much! Funny thing is... not a single box I bought today was even used!! All that worrying for nothing! Isn't that always the truth about worry.

"Be anxious for nothing..."

Too long...

It's been too long since I shared anything! Four years!!!! Oh how time escapes us! I enjoy journaling, blogging, documenting the accounts of my life in a story; yet, I rarely make time for this peaceful activity. We have a very entertaining life and there is always something happening, so much so that I feel like I don't have enough time. But that all stops today...partially because I recently put in my two weeks for Oshea's. I have been bartending there since the new location reopened in December 2013.
So much has happened in the past four years that I won't possibly be able to share it all today or probably ever, hahaha. But I can say that I am going to make a valiant effort to begin to document the newest journey at hand.
We are moving to St. Thomas USVI! Relocating from the "Fabulous Las Vegas" to a small island in the caribbean. That is why I am quitting my job. It seems crazy to some, exciting for others, and just darn right scary for me. Well.....now that I officially informed my employer that I am taking a leap of faith for my husband's newest endeavor the excitement is beginning to surround me! Initially, I was going to ask for a 6 month Leave of Absence, but to get it approved I would have to jeopardize my integrity by creating a believable lie. When I started to evaluate this and my overall feelings about bartending at Oshea's I began to realize that I have been begging for a change. I haven't been happy working, not the money, not my schedule, not anything but my insurance. Don't get me wrong I love O'sheas and the people I work with; they are like family to me, but I have been feeling a pull for something new, something bigger, greater and more rewarding. Resigning was exactly what I needed to do. I need to take this leap of faith for my husband, Jacob, and my two children. I can't expect God to do great things if I am holding on to what's comfortable. So we are going ALL IN!!!





Sent from my iPhone

Creations from within

My young lady, Joie, is quite the artist. Here is her most recent drawing...

Carving pumpkins