Joy In The Midst of Struggles

 Here is something that frustrates me about the state of California. Basically since I was diagnosed with CP I went to CCS (California Children Services). They provide free occupational and physical therapy until your 21. This is so awesome and I would go twice a week until high school where I would do more check ins because I was becoming more independent and doing so well I did not need it as much. Now I know what your thinking...um Nicole why are you frustrated with this? Well did you noticed I bolded until your 21? This is the issue. Once you turn 21 they are like bye bye good luck with the rest of your life. It has been difficult because you get dropped off and on your own without any recommendations of where to go next in life.  Most of you know that hot yoga has been a life saver for me and has basically become my physical therapy and it has been great until...covid. Due to the shutdown it also caused a shut down of my body because my physical therapy (aka yoga) was tak...

 Do you ever have moments where you are reminded why God called you into your profession? Last week I had one of those moments. This conversation brought tears to my eyes because it helped me realize that I have given my students the ability to have open and honest conversations about topics that may be a bit awkward. I was teaching a small group with two of my students. One of them has been in my class for two years now and the other just this year. I do not know how we got on this topic but we were discussing how I used to be a kindergarten teacher here is the conversation Student: I remember seeing you when I was in third grade and thought she walks differently. Me: Why did you think I walk like that? Student: I don't know maybe that you got stung by a bee? Me: haha okay what do you think now? Student: Well you were born that way. I'm used to it now and its just normal. But I still have never seen anyone like you. Me: I agree. I don't really see anyone like me either. St...

 Hi there! I know...its been a while..but when you were an online teacher for a year you take every opportunity to be away from the screen..BUT here I am. I am back giving you all the details of life with CP.   So as we all know living through this pandemic has not exactly been the best and a few weeks ago I got an unexpected side effect of this pandemic. A few weeks ago I went back to teaching in person full time and my yoga studio opened back up (HALLELUJAH!) . We all know that working out at home just does not cut it. So the next week after returning to school and yoga I started feeling some pain in my right leg. Let's be real I feel pain a lot so I just figured my leg muscle was tight or I may have pulled something (my right leg is my bad leg, it turns in more and is usually always tighter than my left). No big deal right? Well...a week later the pain is not getting better it is getting worse. & I know it is not a pulled muscle because the pain is not there all the tim...

Reflecting on 2020 is interesting. It seems like everyone is just wishing for this year to be over. Isn't that true for any hard time that we go through? We beg and wish for things to end when it gets bad. However, I tend to find that when things get rough that is where true learning begins and where you find how strong you are and how important it is to lean on your people and your God. So here we go..all the things I learned in 2020.  January & February -  life was going smoothly and I had a whole plan for this year (which thank God that plan fell through because God definitely had a way better plan) March  - I still remember reassuring my kids on Friday the 13th that I would see them in two weeks and they have nothing to worry about. ha! So here we go as far as change of plans. I became single this month as well. Oh but a big blessing this month was my beautiful nephew being born! April - This was an incredibly hard month as distance learning was not mandatory and ...

 Hello my readers, sorry I have not been posting much but when you are a virtual teacher you need the break from the computer when you can get it. But recently something happened that I needed to stress. In October I returned to my childhood orthopedic doctor because finding a new doctor that really knows about CP is actually extremely hard and I needed a refill of my medications so I decided to return to my old one. The appointment went well and he told me that I am still doing great and no other recommendations except to increase my vitamin D (gotta keep those strong bones). Well in November I got a refill of my one medication. I got home and opened the bottle and realized wow these pills are a lot bigger than my previous ones. I then read on the label they were 5 mg instead of my usual 2 mg (which I take twice a day which therefore is roughly 5 mg for the whole day not 5 mg for one dose). I immediately did not feel comfortable so I figured well I will just cut the pill in half. ...

 Hi There! Here we are another year and another World CP Day! It's hard to believe I have started this blog 8 years ago and have been discussing life with CP for that long! Never would I have thought I would be so open about my CP struggles as I do in this day and age but I have learned through writing this blog that it is very educational for you readers and helpful for me. If you follow me on social media you know I did a poll and a lot of you do not know what CP is or what causes it so here are your answers! What is CP? Cerebral (part of the brain) Palsy (weakness or problems with using the muscles) is a disability that affects a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture. There are different types of CP like spastic where the muscles are incredibly stiff or dystonic which is involuntary movements (which is what I have) where if I reach for something or carry a glass of water I cannot control my shakiness. What is the cause of CP? CP is caused by an abnormal b...

When a chapter closes it is a mix of emotions. You feel excited, nervous, sad, doubtful...all the feels. Last week I said goodbye to my first apartment that I had been living in for 2 and a half years. Now I know some people may say well it is just an apartment but this apartment meant much more than just a place of living. I remember seeing this apartment building getting built and every time I would pass it I would think "my goodness that would be a great place to live". Then passing by it one day with my mom she said well why don't we go check it out...three days later I applied and got the apartment. It happened so fast and I was so excited to be moving into this dreamy place but so nervous because it was the first time I would be living alone. I mean mind you I am a completely independent woman with CP but I do struggle with some things like opening jars and bottles, getting things put away quickly, opening packages, etc. But if you set your mind to it you can acco...