I am feeling so thankful for answered prayers!!
My Dad has had such a difficult past few weeks with many troubles with his heart. He is now recovery from open heart surgery, he had his mitral valve replaced on Thurs. Nov 1st! (2nd time, 1st replacement surgery was in Dec. '99) He has had some bumps in the road to recovery but overall is doing remarkable! I just wanted to post a quick note saying that my faith in the Lord has grown over the past few weeks immensly and I am thankful for this and everyone around me that has been lifting my Dad and my family up in prayer! Thank you ♥ 

Fibromyalgia Awareness & Positive Self Talk

How adorable is this!? A penguin for Fibromyalgia Awareness- it's perfect for me :) I have been trying to manage my symptoms the best I can. This last month has been especially difficult with added stress. I lost my job the beginning of July. My doctor made some recommendations for certain accommodations and Walmart did not approve them so I am on an unpaid leave of absence. I have been to biofeedback to learn how to quiet my mind and am now working on trying to quiet and relax my muscles (they are so tight and in knots all the time).  I feel so angry at times because I have this pain and have to live with limitations/restrictions etc. but then I just pray that someday they will find a cure and all of us that struggle and fight with this illness will be free from enduring all of the pain and other crazy, unpredictable symptoms we face each day! My depression and anxiety have been escalated over the past 3 months or so as well so I am also working on skills I have learned in the past to do the best I can each day. I am learning more and more with each therapy appointment I go to and one of the most important things is positive self talk which is why I want to share this next picture.

Isn't it a great reminder to treat ourselves with love and kindness?!
Love and Hugs to all my family and friends that follow my blog- sorry it's been so long sense my last post.

Jeremiah 29:11  ~  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Dylan's Apartment

Last night Dylan stayed at his own apartment over night for the first time. I'm so proud of him! He did great~ and so did I as his Mom. There were a few texts that made me want to go bring him something he wanted but I resisted the urge and let him get by because I knew he could do it!! This will be a good thing for us. I have a good feeling about it!

UPDATE:
August 8th,2012... That apartment didn't work out. Dylan is living with me for now. We are making it work. I think things will be o.k. He is searching for a job and then once he is established he will look for an apartment.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!
I hope every Mom that reads this has a wonderful day! Being a Mom, in my opinion, is the most difficult and important job one will ever have. I pray that some day Dylan will realize that every difficult decision I have made in raising him was done with love and that I did the best that I knew how given the circumstances. I love you Dylan more than you will ever know.

Empty Nest Soon

I am so anxious about Dylan moving in two weeks. I need to keep reminding myself to BREATH.. because the stress is really getting to me. I have so many emotions going round and round in this head of mine. How will he do on his own? How will I cope if he doesn't make it and also if he does? Will I still feel needed as a Mom? I know both of us will be less stressed and get along better if we are living apart from each other. After awhile it seems we take each other for granted and having our separate places will, I believe, do great things for our relationship.! 
On another note- I am so happy I have two days off from work in a row- I get to sleep in tomorrow!! Yeah! Feeling pretty sleepy right now so I better listen to my body and go to bed now.
Hugs & Love

Memory Collage

16X20 Canvas I glued some of my favorite things to and hung on my wall!
 I wish you could see all the little details. 

All We Have Is All We Need

~A good habit to develop is to monitor our thoughts prior to acting on them. It takes only a second or two to do this, and the payoff is immediate~

This is a very good quote for me :-)  
 I will do my best to develop this habit!

And one more...
♥Feel the tension leave your body when you let your heart be your ears today♥

Hope

I have to have hope for a better tomorrow so I am determined to be hopeful and to never give up!

Hope, Believe and Balance these are the words going through my head right now.

I'm starting the Nicoderm patch tomorrow to help me stop smoking- wish me luck, believe me I'll need support. Goodnight

Feeling Down

I haven't posted in awhile, I've been in a low mood with no energy. I've been worried about my health and focusing too much on it. This needs to change. I want to start blogging again, it is therapeutic. Dylan is busy right now so I started looking at some pictures on facebook and found the following quote and it is exactly my problem. I need to just let life happen and enjoy what is not what I think it should be.

Each time we speak

We are helping or hindering ourselves and one another each time we speak..
I am going to try to remember this today. It is a very powerful statement and one I need to work on because I "think out loud" a lot and that can be dangerous.

Have a joyful day ♥

Focus

I read this in a magazine recently

Express gratitude and watch your blessings multiply...

What you focus on expands!

(how true this is for negativity as well)

Quotes

There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.

The reward of a thing well done is to have done it!

Actions speak louder than words

WHAT YOU DO SPEAKS SO LOUD THAT I CANNOT HEAR WHAT YOU SAY.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

This is an awesome quote, I have felt this....

You Are A Blessing

It's easy to wonder whether you're making a difference in the world. After all, you're just one person; but every smile you smile, every hug you give, every encouraging word you speak and every kindness you

From the Wisdom of Kittens Book

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."

This quote is so very true!

Setting an example

Each person's journey is unique. We must refrain from interference. Setting an example is the only advice we should offer. I hope I'm able to remain quiet when I need to today.

Definition of my name according to Urban Dictionary

I just wanted to share this because Dylan found it last night and was excited to read it to me because it pretty much describes me, (except maybe the catlike person)

Angela:Small, short catlike person. Very easy to tease, but there's no reason to tease an Angela because they're very sweet. You can trust an Angela. Often, Angelas need a hug. Give your Angela a hug today.

Quote for the day

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." ~ Albert Einstein

I started a goal today that I'm going to stretch every morning for a minimum of 10 minutes.Then when I've succeeded with this, I will add another goal to it and so on. I know if I stick with this that I will start to feel much better physically as well as mentally!

Kindness

♥ Do one kind thing for yourself every day ♥ And why not do something kind for someone else every day as well....It really feels good to be kind!

Hurt right arm : (

I have not posted for awhile due to my right arm hurting. I went to the clinic Friday and was told I have tendonitis (I alredy knew this) anyway- I was given a prescription for Prednisone, 40mg a day for 6 days and told to take Ibuprofen as well.