Time flies... whether or not you're having fun truth be told. I haven't obviously been on here in quite awhile. I'd like to get back on here, but we will see how that pans out as I have started back to school!! Finally! I'm beyond excited! I am also starting my own business which goes along with the school. So, I have a website to learn how to build and lots and lots of reading to do for my classes. The to do list is extremely long!
I am doing Life Coaching. If you know of anyone, or you yourself, are looking for a life coach drop me an email. I'd love to help you! Some of you may be asking, "What is a life coach and what do they do?"
I'm glad you asked! Life coaching, in a super short definition, is helping people make positive changes in their lives. The changes can be in any area of a persons life... personal, work, career, future, lifestyle, relationship etc.... it can be a specific goal or a full lifestyle change. The process length varies per individual and goal desired. I schedule a minimum of 3 months up to a year at a time. Email me for more details. I'll be updating this with my website when it's up and running.
Let me help you find your happy!
Smiles :)
Jennifer
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Monday, September 17, 2012
I'm Living Proof!
This is a true story that happened to me that I shared on my facebook. I thought I would put it over here to share as well. Feel free to copy and send on to your friends. I think people need to hear and know that God DOES exist and that God still performs miracles today.
Miracles DO Happen... aka "Cliff Diving"
On March 13th I fell off a cliff in Estes Park, Colorado simply taking pictures with my daughters. When we were done I went to climb down just a few rocks in front of the sign. I wasn't even that close to the side of the cliff, but I slipped on a rock and went down the cliff. (I remember thinking "I'm going to die"). But I survived (obviously :) I remember nothing about the impact (was there one?). I "came to" and found myself sliding down the cliff (with no feeling of the rocks below me).I hit my head on a rock (ouch!),"somehow" flipped over to my back and looked ahead of me to find all rocks and two trees about 7-8' apart and knew I had to maneuver through them or I'd be a goner from the impact! Looking further ahead I saw that there was no end in sight. Just more rocks forever. I "somehow" was able to stop right before getting to the trees (crazy how I was able to, going so fast). Once I stopped I just got up quickly without thinking and just turned around and started climbing up the rocks simply thinking to myself that I need to get back to the top, my daughters were up there. I am NOT a rock climber. I've never climbed rocks and in fact hate those that are in gyms. I miraculously got to the top! Asked Siri (Iphone) where the nearest hospital was and drove 3 miles down the road to an "Urgent Care" (doctor's office - I am pretty sure they didn't realize just where I had fallen from) as there is no hospital in Estes Park. My Examination (which did not include any tests... no x-rays, no CT scans) declared a mild concussion (gash on left forehead). A "pretty bad ankle and leg sprains of my tendons". Not gonna lie that hurt so bad I could hardly walk (on crutches a couple days). I slightly sprained my shoulder on my left side not real sore at all though ( important to remember). That's it!
No scrapes (except my left shoulder) , no bruises! Nothing.
Interesting facts:
1 -Later in the day I found some dirt in my left ear, There was no scrapes on my ear or side of face. Nothing.
dirt inside my bra. No dirt on outside, no dirt on sweater (God has a great sense of humor! :)
2 -I knew my shoulder was sore, but it wasn't until later that I discovered the scrape on my shoulder. My sweater had a little dirt in that spot, no hole, not even a tear in any of the threads!
3 -There are NO holes in my sweater. There are NO threads in my sweater torn. The sweater looks brand new!
4 - Dirt was all over my RIGHT side. Injuries are all on my LEFT side.
5 - No scrapes, no bruises anywhere.
6 - I didn't feel the impact of the fall, nor the sliding down the rocky cliff.
7 - I didn't even feel any of the rocks underneath me. I had no marks indicating I had touched them
8 - My hair had no dirt in it at all. Aside from the hit on my head, it was still in great condition...makeup and hair. :) Not one nail broken (ha! :)
9 - I was somehow able to climb back up the cliff. I did have my hiking boots on (thank God!), but I've never done rock climbing before. Being able to climb up with no problems is unreal as well.
None of what happened makes sense, nothing adds up...
There are probably more that I just can't think of now.
So... for those of you that don't believe in miracles, angels and more specifically God... explain how that all happened.
This is what I know:
I know it obviously is not my time to go.
I know that God saved my life through His grace and mercy.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/jennifer-ellis-galichia/miracles-do-happen-aka-cliff-diving/10151418071070035 to see all the pics...
Where to start?....
This picture I took during my trip to Colorado last March. I love Colorado! I just love the mountains!
So, I'm thinking I'm going to catch you up to speed as to what the current status is on my condition. In the future I will go back in time and share certain stories as I have time.
I have now been off work since February 6, 2011. Crazy how time flies by! Off over a year and a half and I'm still waiting to get the insurance company to pay for treatment. That's what's crazy!! Getting closer though. They called and said I'm approved for ten visits (that's not near enough, but I'll take it), however the amount they approved will not pay for the ten visits. Gotta love them! :) So, I still wait...
Oh, the treatment I'm needing? I need cognitive brain retraining. The Rehab Institute of Kansas City does this treatment. Think of a person that has had a stroke and part of their brain gets damaged and suddenly they can't speak, or feed themselves. Those areas of their brains were damaged. They can get brain retraining in an attempt to train different cells to do the jobs of the damaged cells. That's the hope with me. Although my brain cells damage was not do to a stroke, it was do to meningitis, it still damaged specific brain cells. So, my hope is retraining the brain in order to get a better functioning brain. It's not a quick fix and not easy. It's like physical therapy for brain. Starting from scratch. A long process, but I'm not afraid of the hard persistent work it will require...I say bring it on! Headaches are part of the game... that's okay. A goal is my drive!
Monday, September 19, 2011
I don't want your sympathy...
I don't want your sympathy... we all have burdens to carry. Some people's loads are pretty heavy and some people seem to get off carrying the bread, it's so light weight compared to the canned goods. Bread is easy to open, cans take a lot of effort sometimes. They say God only gives you what He knows you can handle... WITH His help!
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
It started 14 years ago now... My three children at the time, 10 1/2, 6 1/2 & 3... all had regular runny nose colds, nothing major. I however, ended up with Meningitis. I wasn't taken to the hospital by my ex (husband) like I should have been. He took (carried literally) me to my doctor, (whom shouldn't be practicing medicine) whom diagnosed me but told him to take me home to bed instead of to the hospital for treatment. I was left in bed for two weeks running a fever, with the absolute worst headache of my life! (and I've had the horrible headaches of dehydration), my whole body hurt horribly bad as well. My back and brain felt like they were going to literally explode. I couldn't move, I was in too much pain and far too weak. I should have said that I truly have a high tolerance of pain. When the meningitis finally went away and after almost 4 weeks of a headache... I was changed... for life... I was left with a strange buzzing noise in my head (not tinnitus... I have that too). Sounds like when one of those fluorescent lights are going out and they buzz really loud. This is like I can actually hear my brain working. It never goes away, it's constant. The meningitis also left me totally different. Suddenly I struggled with being organized (I'm a perfectionist, some people like to use the word anal, but... that seems harsh and why categorize :) I suddenly couldn't remember things, basic everyday things. I went to my doctor some time later, but that doctor (the one that diagnosed me) ignored me and acted as if I was crazy. I never went back to him. He has no respect for women. I should have gone to a new doctor, but I was too busy taking care of my children, ohh... and I did childcare in my home, so I had extras too. Anyway, I struggled with those symptoms for 5 years before I went to the Dr. Though, after an EEG and an MRI of my brain and everything checking out "normal" he striked my symptoms up to being " an executive mom syndrome" I was simply having to do too much with no help from my now ex. I wasn't happy with that diagnosis, as I truly felt there was a lot more to it than that. (I had forgotten, because that's what I do, to tell him that I had had meningitis and that is when the symptoms started, not knowing that the symptoms could be related).
Fast forward to January 2011... My symptoms have progressively gotten worse... I've noticed during times of extreme stress and lack of sleep I struggled to just remember what I needed to do that day. My mail stacked up for weeks, bills went unpaid... I'd just forget, or couldn't stay focused long enough to do the paper shuffle. Conversations and remembering what was said was becoming more and more frequent. My children constantly complain I don't listen to them (that makes me so extremely horribly sad... that's what they are going to remember about me and growing up). I did try to listen to them... I just couldn't totally focus and I would miss words they would say. I didn't know why... I just did. I didn't even truly know exactly how much I was missing. Which is frightening to even think about. I can't go there...
So... with my work life getting more and more stressful, impossible sales goals , long 12 hour days away from home. My memory, driving not only me crazy, but everyone around me. My children, my boss... I was dropping the ball everywhere, which has NEVER been like me. (remember I have always been a perfectionist). At work, I was forgetting to order items for my customers, forgetting what my boss said or needed from me. I was missing turns while driving to customers I'd been to a hundred times. I was showing up at wrong customers even though my computer told me which ones I needed to see. I was physically exhausted. I had no idea why. I'd actually been to numerous Drs over the years to find out why I had the symptoms. They were clueless (I never told any of them I had had meningitis). I had been using Soda and then Red Bull to make it through my days. Red Bull, for some reason, helped my really bad "foggy brain" days a bit better. I could function. So, back to my neurologist. This time with a reminder note in my phone telling me why I am there to see him and what's been going on (I'd actually scheduled to see him several times over the prior year and would show up forgetting why I was there (true story). My Dr ordered an EEG... had it on a Monday morning. I was supposed to get the results two weeks later. They called me Tuesday afternoon telling me the Dr had read my results and it was abnormal and that they had scheduled an MRI for the next morning and I was to come over and see him right after. Talk about scary! I just wanted them to tell me over the phone. Nobody wants to have to wait to hear about "abnormal" test results. I had to tell my boss at this point because missing work was just not allowed.
First words... "Have you ever been hit in the head?... suffered a concussion?" No I answered. He then proceeds to tell me that I have a seizure disorder... that my brain in the short 25 min EEG test literally shut off and turned back on 15 times!!! You do the math... if my brain kept that pace... it shut off and came back on over 800 times a DAY!!! No wonder why you can't remember, your brain shuts off... no wonder why you can't concentrate... your brain shuts off while you're trying to do things. It comes back on a split second later and you've forgotton where you left off. And no wonder why you're exhausted... shutting off and coming back on takes a lot of energy. Your brain is worn out! No wonder why Red Bull helps you... you are stimulating your brain to make it stay awake and function. You've been "self medicating" over the years. I then asked if meningitis could cause this... he replied. "Yes, have you had that? When?" I told him... at least the missing piece of the brain puzzle had been found after almost 13 years!
To be continued...
but remember, God doesn't give you more than you can handle with His help... though there are some days when the load seems like its gotten 100 pounds heavier and you wonder how much longer you can go on. And in those moments... I listen to these songs...
Everything by Life House
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjDojEOiMcE
Word of God speak by Mercy Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTY-UKgLlXs
Blessings by Laura Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ
Those get me through the hard days... the days where I just want a "normal" brain (that's all perception anyway :)
smiles : )
Jennifer
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
It started 14 years ago now... My three children at the time, 10 1/2, 6 1/2 & 3... all had regular runny nose colds, nothing major. I however, ended up with Meningitis. I wasn't taken to the hospital by my ex (husband) like I should have been. He took (carried literally) me to my doctor, (whom shouldn't be practicing medicine) whom diagnosed me but told him to take me home to bed instead of to the hospital for treatment. I was left in bed for two weeks running a fever, with the absolute worst headache of my life! (and I've had the horrible headaches of dehydration), my whole body hurt horribly bad as well. My back and brain felt like they were going to literally explode. I couldn't move, I was in too much pain and far too weak. I should have said that I truly have a high tolerance of pain. When the meningitis finally went away and after almost 4 weeks of a headache... I was changed... for life... I was left with a strange buzzing noise in my head (not tinnitus... I have that too). Sounds like when one of those fluorescent lights are going out and they buzz really loud. This is like I can actually hear my brain working. It never goes away, it's constant. The meningitis also left me totally different. Suddenly I struggled with being organized (I'm a perfectionist, some people like to use the word anal, but... that seems harsh and why categorize :) I suddenly couldn't remember things, basic everyday things. I went to my doctor some time later, but that doctor (the one that diagnosed me) ignored me and acted as if I was crazy. I never went back to him. He has no respect for women. I should have gone to a new doctor, but I was too busy taking care of my children, ohh... and I did childcare in my home, so I had extras too. Anyway, I struggled with those symptoms for 5 years before I went to the Dr. Though, after an EEG and an MRI of my brain and everything checking out "normal" he striked my symptoms up to being " an executive mom syndrome" I was simply having to do too much with no help from my now ex. I wasn't happy with that diagnosis, as I truly felt there was a lot more to it than that. (I had forgotten, because that's what I do, to tell him that I had had meningitis and that is when the symptoms started, not knowing that the symptoms could be related).
Fast forward to January 2011... My symptoms have progressively gotten worse... I've noticed during times of extreme stress and lack of sleep I struggled to just remember what I needed to do that day. My mail stacked up for weeks, bills went unpaid... I'd just forget, or couldn't stay focused long enough to do the paper shuffle. Conversations and remembering what was said was becoming more and more frequent. My children constantly complain I don't listen to them (that makes me so extremely horribly sad... that's what they are going to remember about me and growing up). I did try to listen to them... I just couldn't totally focus and I would miss words they would say. I didn't know why... I just did. I didn't even truly know exactly how much I was missing. Which is frightening to even think about. I can't go there...
So... with my work life getting more and more stressful, impossible sales goals , long 12 hour days away from home. My memory, driving not only me crazy, but everyone around me. My children, my boss... I was dropping the ball everywhere, which has NEVER been like me. (remember I have always been a perfectionist). At work, I was forgetting to order items for my customers, forgetting what my boss said or needed from me. I was missing turns while driving to customers I'd been to a hundred times. I was showing up at wrong customers even though my computer told me which ones I needed to see. I was physically exhausted. I had no idea why. I'd actually been to numerous Drs over the years to find out why I had the symptoms. They were clueless (I never told any of them I had had meningitis). I had been using Soda and then Red Bull to make it through my days. Red Bull, for some reason, helped my really bad "foggy brain" days a bit better. I could function. So, back to my neurologist. This time with a reminder note in my phone telling me why I am there to see him and what's been going on (I'd actually scheduled to see him several times over the prior year and would show up forgetting why I was there (true story). My Dr ordered an EEG... had it on a Monday morning. I was supposed to get the results two weeks later. They called me Tuesday afternoon telling me the Dr had read my results and it was abnormal and that they had scheduled an MRI for the next morning and I was to come over and see him right after. Talk about scary! I just wanted them to tell me over the phone. Nobody wants to have to wait to hear about "abnormal" test results. I had to tell my boss at this point because missing work was just not allowed.
First words... "Have you ever been hit in the head?... suffered a concussion?" No I answered. He then proceeds to tell me that I have a seizure disorder... that my brain in the short 25 min EEG test literally shut off and turned back on 15 times!!! You do the math... if my brain kept that pace... it shut off and came back on over 800 times a DAY!!! No wonder why you can't remember, your brain shuts off... no wonder why you can't concentrate... your brain shuts off while you're trying to do things. It comes back on a split second later and you've forgotton where you left off. And no wonder why you're exhausted... shutting off and coming back on takes a lot of energy. Your brain is worn out! No wonder why Red Bull helps you... you are stimulating your brain to make it stay awake and function. You've been "self medicating" over the years. I then asked if meningitis could cause this... he replied. "Yes, have you had that? When?" I told him... at least the missing piece of the brain puzzle had been found after almost 13 years!
To be continued...
but remember, God doesn't give you more than you can handle with His help... though there are some days when the load seems like its gotten 100 pounds heavier and you wonder how much longer you can go on. And in those moments... I listen to these songs...
Everything by Life House
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjDojEOiMcE
Word of God speak by Mercy Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTY-UKgLlXs
Blessings by Laura Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ
Those get me through the hard days... the days where I just want a "normal" brain (that's all perception anyway :)
smiles : )
Jennifer
Sunday, March 13, 2011
I don't remember that....
I don't remember that. I don't remember that.... That really happened?!.... How come I don't remember?... When did that happen?... How come I don't remember that?....
How come I'm here? I'm not supposed to be here... I'm supposed to be down the road at another customers...
I don't remember saying that... We really discussed this?...
When?....
I am now wondering just how much of the "small" stuff I have missed in my life the last twelve years. That's a scary thought to put your mind around. You don't ever want to go "there".... To think that you actually may have forgotten conversations you've had. Not just small ones, but important ones. Did you remember you grounded your child and why? Did you remember to open your mail? Do you even know where the mail is? Or is it still in the mailbox? No...
Can't concentrate?... Having a hard time focusing?... Did you forget what you were doing?... Did you forget what you're supposed to be doing?... Is stress making it harder?... Lack of sleep making you feel like you have mono?
Are you just mentally exhausted?...
"So much going on in your life... "You should cut yourself some slack... " After all, "you're doing a great job!". "I don't know HOW you do everything you do! I couldn't.". (words spoken to me by numerous people) You are a single mom of four kids... Also Working full-time outside the house. Add in taking care of your dad and his house, his shopping and bills. Then, he goes into the hospital and you go see him every night after working 10 hour days. It's no wonder you're forgetting things...
Or was it?....
It's true anyone doing all of the juggling I have done would have a challenging time of doing that schedule day in and day out for a couple years. It wasn't easy....
That was just a two year example.
God is my strength. He alone is my source of hope and faith.
Jesus loves me this I know... For the Bible tells me so. Remember that song?
It's not just a song I learned as a kid in Sunday school. I KNOW it in my heart and my head. I have stories to prove it. And now... I have another one...
God is my protector. He watches over me. He keeps me from harm. He keeps me safe from accidents when I didn't even know I needed protection.
My daily continual prayers (or rather conversations with my Father God) that I do everyday throughout the days.
I would usually mention protecting me and keep me safe to get home that night. Just words...? I drive a lot for my job...
God took those words, that prayer seriously even though He heard it everyday. That's because NO prayer no matter how small is too small for God. And when you think about it... That's not really a small prayer. That's huge with the up to 200 miles a day I could log.
God watched over me... He kept me safe... He got me home safe everyday.
My God has a plan for my life. This I know. I have faith and hope for my future even though right now, after my new diagnosis, I'm left confused and wondering... I know God has His hand on my life. He has a plan, He told me again. I will stand strong in my faith that " this too shall pass, or at least get under control with God on my side".
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, March 7, 2011
I'm Back!!
Life has been a whirlwind since last May when I last wrote to say the least. I will go back and update as time permits. I have a lot to share and say about what I have experienced and learned over the past ten months. God's grace and goodness. Stories about people I know and have met. Life lessons...
Lot's of changes in my life in ten months! Some good, some bad and some are still in an adjustment period honestly trying to figure out "why? and "why now?". But of anything that I DO know and can absolutely count on no matter what in this life, it's that my God IS in control and His hand is on my life and has been (I'll share that story too:)
I hope to find more time to be able to write down all my thoughts that I've been far too busy to do. I'll share the good, the bad and the ugly (yes, there is some ugly unfortunately as that's part of life).
Smiles ;)
Lot's of changes in my life in ten months! Some good, some bad and some are still in an adjustment period honestly trying to figure out "why? and "why now?". But of anything that I DO know and can absolutely count on no matter what in this life, it's that my God IS in control and His hand is on my life and has been (I'll share that story too:)
I hope to find more time to be able to write down all my thoughts that I've been far too busy to do. I'll share the good, the bad and the ugly (yes, there is some ugly unfortunately as that's part of life).
Smiles ;)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Everything...
The majority of people will seek God only when their world's are falling apart...when they get bad news...when they've lost a love...when nothing is going right in their life...
To truly worship and serve God... you do so when everything is RIGHT in your life. When life is good and bills are paid, your car is running, your job is going well, and you're happy... to choose to worship God and give Him your life at that time in your life.
LOVE this song!... because even when my world is absolutely perfect!... God IS all I want! He is all I truly need... He is my everything!... Having everything go "right" in my life lately hasn't made me neglect worshiping my heavenly Father...on the contrary... I'm giving HIM all the praise for everything that is going right in my life! I'm not going to leave His presense...for that is where I find my peace of spirit. Not in the fact that my life is going smoothly... that's just bonus...because I know that it's God's plan for my life... I can't wait to see what else He has planned!
How could it get any better than this?!....
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?... get in His presence... then ask...
"Everything" by Lifehouse (youtube it:)
Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.
You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose...you're everything.
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
You calm the storms, and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall.
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
Cause you're all I want, You're all I need
You're everything,everything
You're all I want your all I need
You're everything, everything.
You're all I want you're all I need.
You're everything, everything
You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything, everything.
And How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
It doesn't get any better than being wrapped in your Father's arms resting in His peace of spirit... no matter what is going on in your worldly life... being in His presence is the absolute BEST!...
To truly worship and serve God... you do so when everything is RIGHT in your life. When life is good and bills are paid, your car is running, your job is going well, and you're happy... to choose to worship God and give Him your life at that time in your life.
LOVE this song!... because even when my world is absolutely perfect!... God IS all I want! He is all I truly need... He is my everything!... Having everything go "right" in my life lately hasn't made me neglect worshiping my heavenly Father...on the contrary... I'm giving HIM all the praise for everything that is going right in my life! I'm not going to leave His presense...for that is where I find my peace of spirit. Not in the fact that my life is going smoothly... that's just bonus...because I know that it's God's plan for my life... I can't wait to see what else He has planned!
How could it get any better than this?!....
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?... get in His presence... then ask...
"Everything" by Lifehouse (youtube it:)
Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.
You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose...you're everything.
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
You calm the storms, and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall.
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
Cause you're all I want, You're all I need
You're everything,everything
You're all I want your all I need
You're everything, everything.
You're all I want you're all I need.
You're everything, everything
You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything, everything.
And How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
It doesn't get any better than being wrapped in your Father's arms resting in His peace of spirit... no matter what is going on in your worldly life... being in His presence is the absolute BEST!...
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