Alzheimer's Disease

Over the past year, my grandfather, Dan Dan quickly developed Alzheimers and it is really heartbreaking and sad on my family to have to watch it. Alzheimer's Disease is a diseased marked by gradual declines in memory, attention, and judgement; confusion as to time and place; difficulties in communication; decline in self- care skills; inappropriate behavior; and personality changes.  When I went home over Thanksgiving I visited Dan Dan and I could just tell that things weren't getting worse for him. He hardly had any idea who I was, and was wearing 2 watches on his wrist. From what we talked about in class and what I learned in the book it gave me an even bigger understanding of this disease but also made me realize even more how much I missed the old Dan Dan and wish that this disease wouldn't affect him. It has also left me terrified that my Dad will end up like this or even myself, since it is hereditary. It kills me to see the pain that my Dad and his sisters are in, watching their father struggle, let alone my poor grandma, Mimi. I couldn't bare to watch that happen to my Dad. Dan Dan does show pretty much all symptoms of this disease too such as, his decline in memory and not paying attention, it is like he is in another world. Confusion of time in place, because over the summer he would refer back to being in the Military and trying to remember his tag numbers, along with constantly misplacing things and even trying to set up a barricade of furniture in their bedroom so that Mimi couldn't get in because he was scared she was gonna try to "attack" him and he was in-denial of being married to her and had no idea that she was his wife. Something you have to understand too is that he is going to have his good and bad days with this disease and I have witnessed both. I did get a big smile on my face on Thanksgiving was when we went to visit Dan Dan in his "memory care" unit at his nursing home facility, and he immediately recognized Mimi and both their eyes lit up and he gave her a huge and kiss and told her he loved her. That made me so happy to see that and I know that it made my grandma happy too!

RIP Dan Dan
December 11, 2012

Dan Dan & I when I was younger

Dan Dan & Mimi on Thanksgiving

Summer of 2011

All because of a hat

I never would have expected that I would be at a bar in the Bahamas on a family trip with friends when I would come across my now boyfriend. It is funny how some things work out, when you would never expect it to work out, considering I'm from Florida and he is from Alabama, their was just no way that it could, but it did. It was the summer going into my Freshman year of College, who would have thought we would meet one another just because I was wearing an Alabama hat, and I'm glad I was or I would have never met my soulmate. Kalmijn and Flap (2001) did a study on where people meet and the likelihood of the the influences that occur and if they will "click" on particular dimensions and form a couple. They found out that yes it did, and I strongly back them up on this. It was assortative mating at first sight, my boyfriend and I met because I was wearing an Alabama hat, we shared the same interest of Alabama, and the fact that we were both going to be Freshman at the college, and were on a family trip! We did not find out until later though that we shared even more of the same interest. We fell under the form of homogamy; the degree to which people are similar, and got very lucky. After our trip ended we continued to stay in touch all throughout summer and become really good friends, and it wasn't until the very end of summer when he came down to Florida to visit me that we began to date, before we settled in at college and we have been together since! Not many people can say that they met their boyfriend in a bar in the Bahamas, but I'm lucky to say that I did. I believe it was fate, and I'm very blessed...all because of a hat! 

A Milestone Birthday

When I was 15 all I wanted to do was go skydiving. My neighbor and good family friend promised me that when I turned 18 he would take because he took his 2 daughters and I was dying to do it after I saw his daughters videos. On my birthday when I turned 18 I was out there door and on my way to their house so that he could take me skydiving, I was so excited! It was such an incredible experience but I'm not sure if I'd ever do it again. It is something though that I believe everyone should try. I'm a thrill-seeker even though I hate roller-coaster..doesn't really make sense. Turning 18 and going skydiving was a milestone birthday for me. It meant that I had finally reached my emerging adulthood, and was old enough to do what I wanted and not have to listen to my parents rules (even though I still do this day continue to listen to there rules). People say that turning 16 or 21 are milestone birthdays but for me it was my 18th birthday, it was a life time experience, and something I will never forget. I love to tell people that I went skydiving because a lot of people are scared to do it and I try to reassure them that it is not bad! I not only was accompined by my neighbor and his daughter who had jumped out of planes mulitple times but also my Dad, which was really special. It was so exciting to know that my Dad was going to be expierencing it with me too for the first time also, and that he did it for me. Not to mention the view was INCREDIBLE! 

-Ignore my Auburn shirt....

In honor of Becky Streetman

Anorexia Nervosa is a persistent refusal to eat accompanied by an irrational fear of being over weight. When I was in highschool I suffered from a mild case of anorexia, but what high school girl didn't.  I was constantly worried about my weight and comparing myself to others and my mother. I used to eat only 16 wheat thins a day and than go to the gym after school and work out. Looking back on this is so stupid, especially considering I have a relative who passed away from Anorexia Nervosa at age 29. I was really young, but still remember spending holidays with her and was always so curious to why she was so thin and frail. It's not a pretty disease by any means at all. It does so much damage to your body. She wasn't able to eat anything and was hooked up to feeding tubes. She was physically sick and dying from this disease and their was nothing she could do about it because she had the mental image of herself being fat. I have had friends struggle with this and no longer do, because they have gained the realization that they are beautiful and don't need to be stick thin. The Mental Health Association of Indian River County, which is where I am from made a documentary on her and another women who luckily fought her battle. The documentary was called "Dying to Fit In" and was about eating disorders. I unfortunately never got to see this documentary when it aired but it was something that I really wanted to see. I searched all over the internet for it when I was in high school, so I could watch it, and I searched once again while I was writing this blog to try to post a clip in the blog and raise awareness. All I have is a an article from one of our local papers. 

R.I.P Becky Streetman



TC Palm: 

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/sep/01/eating-disorders-documentary-produced-indian-river/

Divorce

Divorce is an awful thing and has such negative affects on your kids, if it is bad. My cousin got divorced 2 years ago and she have 2 beautiful and smart daughters and it was so sad to see this happen. The girls were nothing but torn from it and had to seek therapy and they're both under the age of 13. During this time I had to babysit the girls and do stuff with them to keep them busy from thinking about what was going on. It broke my heart to see them upset about this and know how much they dreaded having to go over to their fathers house when I would take them. They would have to hang out with the women who their father cheated on their mother with and who he just recently remarried. It sickened me to know that they didn't like spending time with their dad and knowing that they had to fight for his attention over his new wife. Also, if I was a parent that would break my heart to know that about my child hated spending time with me. It's not fair to your child either when both parents are saying nasty things about one another in front of their kids. It's very hard on the girls to deal with this but I know that they are coping better with it. When I was home over Thanksgiving break I got to spend time with the girls and my cousin brought her new boyfriend over to Thanksgiving dinner and it was so good to see her happy and the girls happy. Her new boyfriend also has a daughter close to their age that they get along great with and look up to and that really makes me happy for them but sad to know that they don't care for their new blended family with their dad.  I am so lucky to say that I have 2 very happily married parents and am very blessed that I do. I don't know what I'd do without my parents together, its heartbreaking for people. 

Miss MacWilliam

Receiving my first blue slip in Pre-K with our Principle Mr. Bob Bond

When I was younger I used to play make believe and pretend to be a teacher or horse trainer depending on my mood. I even had my dad make me a office/study room/ "classroom" when we put a new addition onto our house, not to mention I was in 5th grade too. I would pretend to have students and give them assignments and grade them and of course had my favorite student who I always gave "A's" to! When I would play horse trainer I had dreams of being a big time horse trainer,I had all of the most beautiful and incredible horses, won prizes all the time, and drove all the cool trucks and horse trailers, and had the prettiest show clothes! I know that make believe is something you play when you are younger but for me it carried on into my youth or at least until my house got flooded and we lost everything and had to move.  I decided though that when I came to college I wanted to be a teacher so I majored in Elementary Education and I just recently switched my major to Fashion Retail. Looking back now it was much more easier to play make believe than it was to actually try to become a  teacher and now that I look at it, I'm really not cut out to be a teacher and should stick to being a teacher in my make believe life, but my dreams of being a horse trainer I know are still capable. My passion for horses and dream of being a horse trainer will never die down and I know that as a fact. I do enjoy going home over breaks though and going out to my barn and see all the young kids that are just like me when I was younger, and being able to continue with my make believe dream and help give them lessons and teach them how to ride. I'm slowly taking baby steps to becoming a horse trainer of course. I have to finish college and get my degree in Fashion Retail first before I can succeed. It's incredible to be young. You are so innocent and naive.. I wish I could stay young forever. 

Greta & Scout, the best pony & horse any little girl could ever ask for

Infant Reflexes

Yesterday, I was at Mellow Mushroom getting lunch with my boyfriend and we noticed a new born baby in its carrier sitting at the bar with her parents. She was a precious as could be and all I wanted to do was go over their and ask to hold her until I started to noticed her reflexes and state. At first she was asleep and not making a sound, I even mentioned to my boyfriend, how quite and perfect that baby was being, not making a single sound until of course I cursed it and she woke up. When she woke up she was looking around a lot and making weird faces. I couldn't figure out if she was scared because of her surroundings but than I realized that chances are she was going to the bathroom because of all her facial expressions and arm jesters. She continued to be really good though and quite until our food came around and she started to get fussy and all they did was pop a pacifier in her mouth and she stopped crying. I had never really payed attention to babies and their reflexes before until yesterday and now its something that I am going to observe more closely.