WOW! It has been since 2016 was the last time I blogged anything...I decided to change platforms - New Year (or multiple years), New Blog! I do want to link my old blog on here since there are so many wonderful pictures of my kids growing up!
So much has changed!!! I pretty much have two adult children now. Jackie will be 20 this year and Ben is an 11th grader (he just turned 17 last month)…the world is upside down with the Covid-19 Pandemic & Political Craziness. 2020 was a crazy year! I have been furloughed and now on FMLA because of the pandemic and I ended the year with a medical emergency that has changed my life as I knew it!
A few years ago, I was at my doctors office for what was supposed to be my yearly visit but I had a pretty horrible case of pneumonia. My doctor told me he wanted me to go on a low carb diet since my cholesterol was slightly elevated. My blood pressure was also elevated but once I was done with the medicines and felt better it had gone down, so they did not put me on blood pressure meds. I was bad and didn’t go back for follow up visits which fast forward to the end of December 2020…
It was around 1:30am, Ken had a work emergency and had to go to his office (which is now here at home because of the pandemic), it was snowing, the kids went outside and saw that a tree was down so the 3 of us went out back to look at it. It was actually uprooted and leaning on the neighbors fence. I napped some photos to send to Ken since he couldn’t come look at it. The kids had already started back to the house so I started to run to “beat” them back. I now remember that I stopped for a second because I felt light-headed. What I don’t remember is collapsing and going unconscious…I woke up to Ken above me (now knowing he was doing compressions on me). I started screaming at the top of my lungs. I kept trying to get up but he kept holding me down. Finally I stood with his help. Ben had gotten the neighbor (who was an ex-paramedic) and called 911. The last thing that I wanted to do was go to the hospital when Covid is still spreading like wildfire. But Ken & the kids forced me to. While I was there, I had all sorts of blood work, x-rays, heart ultrasound, leg ultrasound, EKG, hooked up to a heart monitor, etc. Come to find out – my blood pressure was out of control, they couldn’t get the Diastolic number below 100! I just wanted out of there. I hated sharing a room with a complete stranger – especially a BATHROOM!!! It was a crazy week in the cardiac unit that week. I now find myself on blood pressure meds, a low carb diet and trying to get into a good exercise routine to drop weight. I have had two doctor appointments and have a few more tests and then follow-up appointments. Fun times!
Which brings me to posting on here again! I have been having a wonderful time finding new low carb recipes. Trying out different exercise videos and even started reading a book that I bought years ago called “The Happiness Project”. I am going for a whole new me!!!! Inside and out! And 2021 will be my year! So why not document it – share stuff that I am doing, recipes that I am finding and maybe some words of wisdom...as well as my crafty creations! 
I will be working on adding links to my new favorite places to spend my time online.
So check back too see what’s going on in my life! I guess I should have started with a disclaimer that this post would be a long one!!!
Have a fabulous day!
~Shannon