Me...Through the years!

Junior High, as a cheerleader:


Me, right after I left rehab after becoming a paraplegic, 19 years old:


In my backyard in Maryland when my son was a toddler...he took this pic! LOL


About age 25, laying in a tanning bed like a dork! LOL


Growing the short hair out, but still bleaching it to within an inch of its life!


Hair growing out AND color growing out! Almost back to natural! Also, this is when Nate was about 13, and I look more like his sister here, than his mom! LOL


Me on a side by side comparison...worrying about getting old! LOL


A pic I sent my sister in DC when it was a really cold day in South Carolina...I cannot believe I'm sharing this zombie faced pic! Hahaha!


Me in 2008, when I decided I was tired of being fat, so I started hitting the gym! One of the best decisions I've ever made.


One of my favorite pics because it reminds me of how happy I am after a hard workout...all sweaty & gross but loaded with endorphins!


Me with a great friend, Julie at an MMA fight:


Me & My sister, Diane:


Me last Halloween, as a bunny rabbit (NO, NOT that kind of "bunny" - fully clothed in a pink tee and jeans!)


Most recent...Taking one of those dorky, "hold the camera at arms length" pics! Haha!

Just a thought...

We all have crosses to carry in this lifetime...some are more visible than others...most of them are heavier than we let on...
While I was feeling myself bending under the weight of things recently, I realized that the Lord has already done this whole 'cross carrying' thing, so who better to ask for help with lightening my load, than the One who's already experienced, and overcome it?

Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.

~Matthew 11: 28-30 KJV

Random & Nonsensical Favorites

Drink: Diet Coke (I know, it's bad for me...but at least I was honest! LOL)

Appetizer: Stuffed Mushrooms, or Hummus

Web browser: Firefox!

Mascara: Maybelline Lash Discovery Waterproof

Book: The Bible (for overall favorite) and probably The "Count of Monte Cristo", or "To Kill a Mockingbird" for a classic, then for more modern writing, I'd say "A Confederacy of Dunces" -- this is always difficult for me because I'm a voracious reader...so how can I pick just a few?

Favorite old movie: "Brigadoon"...followed by "Singing in the Rain"...I was in love with Gene Kelly as a young girl. ♥

City attraction: Like, in my own city I guess...the beach...the water.

Cheese: White cheddar, and seriously, cheese should not be cold -- but room temp to truly enjoy it. :)

80s movie: Princess Bride -- hands down!!

Time waster: Sitting on the beach just "chill-laxing" '

Moment of the day: When my hubby gives me one-on-one undivided attention time. :)

Solution to depression: More gym.

Family member: It's a tie between my son and my hubby, followed closely by my sissy!!

Emergency meal: When I'm super tired and not in the mood for much chaos in the kitchen, bacon and eggs.

Favorite restaurant: Anywhere with good buffalo wings...nothing fancy.

Hoodie: It's pink...nothing special, but super comfy.

Bottled water: Water is water as long as it's clean (but I have tasted some well water that made me gag.)

Chore: Laundry...crazy, huh? LOL But I like making sure it's all washed, folded, and put away...and I love pulling down a fresh towel and smelling that fresh, clean smell.

You've Got Pen On Your Face...

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that, I'd have enough for my new wheelchair right now! Hahahaha! :)
I have a scar that looks like a pen mark right by my nasolabial fold (those parenthesis lines around your mouth) -- it happened in the accident back in 1987. My face got well acquainted with the road and then a briar patch and ended up with lots of cuts, a few of which created some weird scars that look like ink marks. The doctor said it was where teeny tiny bits of gravel got into the cuts and became imbedded there. They said I could get dermabrasion and be left with a reddish scar, or just live with the faint blue lines. I chose the blue lines.

I also have one across the bridge of my nose and one on my right eyelid, but the one by my mouth is the most prominent, and the one people often point to and inform me that I have pen on my face. LOL
The funniest thing to me is when someone I've known for a long time says it. I ask them if they're just noticing it or if they think I just haven't washed my face since we've met! :)
It's been a source of many laughs...especially when the occasional well-meaning elderly lady reaches out with a licked finger to wipe it off!! Ack! Seriously, this happens!! It's cute, but I'm a total germaphobe!

Funny, but I really don't usually notice my scars until someone asks about one of them. The worst ones are my left knee, right femur, and my back...but to be honest, I lost count of how many there are in total.
Anyway, with all the scars my body has, I've really come to love this saying:
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out and proclaiming. "Wow, what a ride!"

I couldn't agree more!

I'm in LOVE with Chuck!

Chuck Taylor, that is! ♥

I've had this love affair going on since I was a teenager of 13 and got my first pair of white high top Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers, then proceeded to write all over them with markers, making them truly my own.
Over the years Chuck has never left my side...he's always in my closet, although now that I'm older and a little more conservative, I prefer he keep a lower profile, so I stick with low-rise. ;)
Back when I was 13 and donning my first pair so proudly, I never thought I'd still be wearing Converse at the ripe old age of 43, but here I am...my favorites are my light pink ones,

but I have the standard white, and my feet have proudly worn so many colors and patterns of Converse over the years, from purple, to plaid, and all things in between.
Believe it or not, they can be a great conversation starter! Haha! Seriously I couldn't tell you how many times someone has said, "I love your shoes!" and we get to chatting... maybe people don't expect to see a 40-something paraplegic donning bright chucks...but I do, not always, but LOTS. :)

Oops - I've rambled so much I almost forgot the reason I decided to blog about this in the first place...I'm helping my son pick out his tux to wear to his girlfriends senior prom, and I told him I thought it would be awesome if he wore some high top Chuck Taylors with his tux, and I directed him to the Converse website which has an ENTIRE PROM COLLECTION! Is that not the most cool thing ever?!
Anyway, I've fawned enough over my guy Chuck...don't want to get my hubby jealous!

I Broke the Law for Love!

Back in 1997 I met the greatest guy in the world, and then on April 10, 2001 I married him...which is funny because I was technically still married to my first husband. Yes, that's right, I was a bigamist...but I was a bigamist unawares! Seriously! OK your Honor, here's how it all happened:

When I was 29, my dear love and I met, and fell in love pretty much from the word 'go', but I had married at the age of 22, and although we'd separated a year earlier, we had not yet gone forward with the divorce for different reasons. I couldn't afford the expenses involved and he was not willing to officially end it. So there we were, living apart, but still married. This 'limbo' was set on the back burner as we both pursued new lives, and my (now) husband (whom I'll refer to from here on as "Doug" because that's his name) pretty much made it known to me that he wanted to be married.
FINALLY at the age of 33, I was tired of wasting time, and I found the right lawyer at the right price who got down to business and before I knew it, he called me and said, "Michele, the hearing is next week and I've gotten permission to represent you so you don't have to travel back to Maryland." Yay!! I was about to have a fresh start and I didn't even have to set my wheels in the courtroom! The day of the hearing came (April 10th, 2001), and my attorney called me to announce that my divorce had been granted...I giddily told Doug, who said, "Let's go get married!"

WHOA!!

Wait a minute, mister...this is all a bit sudden! :) But my protest fell on deaf ears, and before I knew it, I was in the magistrates office saying, "I do."

Little did I know that once a judge had granted you a divorce, the paperwork still had to be approved, stamped, and filed with the clerk of the court...so my divorce is dated May 30, 2001, at which time I'd been married to Doug for 50 days! Whoops!

Anyway, we're about to celebrate 10 years of illegal bliss! ♥