Multiple Sclerosis: A Creative Disease Calls For Creative Treatment

Ah, multiple sclerosis. Chances are, you know someone who has it. Chances are, you've never heard of it. So on both sides, I'll explain.

M.S. is a pretty common disease. Those of you who know me or have read my "It Sounds Like We Would've Had a Great Deal to Say to Each Other" (in other words, "About Me") paragraph, you know my dad has this super creative disease. I'll get to that after I explain what it is.

This "creative" disease affects the spinal cord and nerves. It affects your organs... a lot of things are affected, from your legs to your brain.

What's so creative? You can have it and be completely fine, in many cases. In my dad's case, you can have it and have intense pain and muscle weakness. In severe cases, you can even lose the use of your legs, like my grandfather.

Another creative aspect: it is, evidently, recessive. You can only end up with it if it runs in BOTH sides of your family. Pretty cool, eh? Not if you're like me, and this actually IS the case for you. Let me include a not-pedigree-pedigree:

P.GRANDMOTHER / GRANDFATHER          M. GRANDMOTHER / GRANDFATHER

STEVE (P. UNCLE) / DWAYNE (FATHER)   
                                                                          DENICE, KAREN, BILL (M. AUNTS/UNCLE), JEANETTE (MOTHER)

TAMEISHA / SHAWN / TIFFANY/ TIERRA / TAMARA / DOUG / CHARITY / FAITH / HOPE

                                                     BRIAN / BRAYLON

What I noticed was, on both sides of the family, somehow both of my parents carry the recessive allele of MS. The purple highlighted names are the MS patients. And on my dad's side, I don't know about you, but I see a pattern--- both of my grandparents had/have the disease, but only one child ended up with it. Same on my mom's side, but... none of my maternal grandparents had the disease, yet STILL one child in her generation ended up with it.

So what does this all mean? If this keeps going on, one child in my generation (and no, I do not have that many siblings... up until Charity, they are all cousins and after me, those are second cousins) will have been diagnosed with the disease by the time they've reached their 30s.

So what do we do? We pray, we hope, we fight. This is a creative disease that needs a creative cure NOW. Seizures and strokes are happening among the MS community, and health is slowly falling... join me and blog until the whole world knows what this disease can do!

I'd love to hear from you... if you have any experiences with the disease, PLEASE blog about it... we may not know how to create a cure, but we DO know how this affects US, and we DO know how to make our voices be heard.

BE SILENT NO LONGER!!!!

Dance Must-Haves!

As I mentioned previously, I attended my first school dance a few hours ago, as it is in the wee hours right now.
So, here are the things you will NEED for your spring dance or prom. Or, start planning for homecoming--- spring turns to summer and summer turns into another school year, which means another football season, which means another dance.
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1. Buy a dress.

 It's a formal dance, so you need something pretty. It can be a church dress, it can be a bridesmaids' dress... anything'll do. The dress above was purchased from Kohl's. You too can get it for $78.00. No, I'm not that wealthy... it was on clearance. So there's a chance it's not in the store anymore, but if it is, you're paying big bucks, honey. I absolutely loved the dress (I'm still wearing it) because firstly, there was no bra necessary--- it was padded. Plus, you'd think it'd be super short, but it was fine. The only problem with it was... it was quite difficult to dance in because my bust is smaller than the norm, so it was sliding down as I danced. And when I got outside.... my, oh my, it was FLYING. Do you even know how long it took for me to get inside my car?
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2. Carry a clutch.

 No one likes hauling around a huge bag with such a cute outfit. I mean, seriously--- do you need your sunglasses? Your iPod? Your headphones? A pillow (believe it or not, I do haul around a huge pillow, and don't ask why)? No. Limit yourself to what you need--- your dance ticket/money, just-in-case items, gum/mints, some makeup, bobby pins, a small fragrance, and leave extra room to put away those earrings that are just annoying the crap out of you.
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3. Fancy hair is a must.

 Always go for a look you haven't worn or don't normally wear, but make sure you're positive it will look good. That's why you try out the style two hours before leaving and then make sure you've planned an alternative. Like, my style was a vintage curl (it's difficult to describe), and I was afraid it may not work. With CONAIR HotSticks, it's really hard to tell what your hair will look like up until you're taking out the curlers and... well, then it's too late. So I told myself that if the curl didn't work I'd just use a ponytail. I never put my hair up anyway and personally I look better with a ponytail. But the style was successful, and so was the dance.
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4. Keep it fresh.

 Nothing's worse than feeling exhausted. When I wash my face, I feel a renewal, like I have woken up again. But because I wake up so early in the mornings an dgo to bed so late at night, I never have the time to wash my face. Thank heavens "good skin" runs in my mom's side of the family. However, "bad skin" runs in my dad's side. So I've got occassional acne. So, what I do to keep breakouts under control, is wash my face with Neutrogena's Acne Wash that smells great (mm... grapefruit!) and works amazing. Then, I use a weaker toner/astringent and rub all over with a cotton ball. Then, I use BeautiControl's Warming Trend mask... oh my gosh, it is AMAZING. As long as my face is wet prior, it warms up on my face. Like, literally. But don't keep it on for too long... I have a scar from a chemical burn. So at max, leave it on for two minutes.
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5. Beautiful feet strut confidence

 Don't forget to give yourself a pedicure! Use a scrub and a base coat, then use the same color as your dress in a darker shade. I chose a burgundy/purple.
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6. Time to blossom

 Anyone who knows me knows I LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEE my flowers! I wear them on the side of my head all the tme. And the ones in the picture are only a small fraction of how many I own. People are also starting to copy my style--- I know it's a common trend, but people I know are beginning to wear them after me, when Lord knows I started that trend in my school. The one I chose for the dance was the black-and-white one. It was either that one or the purple one on the right--- which one would you have chosen?
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7. Like nails on a chalkboard

 Artificial nails are a gift from heaven. They're so fun, and a lot faster to use than nail polish, though with me loving creating cosmetological art, I prefer painting myself anyway. But these took about ten minutes to put on just before I had to leave. And I still managed to eat before leaving. Talent right there.
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8. The key to my heart

 Make sure to have a necklace to distract from any cleavage.
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9. Smelling fresh is feeling fresh

 

 Those that know me well know that I. LOVE. DARK KISS. I also like PARIS AMOUR, both from Bath and Body Works. The other fragrance is an expensive Chanel one from like, the 80s. Literally. It was purchased in the 80s and my mom has barely used it.
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10. Walking on the stars

 Be smart--- go for lower heels NOT high ones! Remember, this is a dance also, not just some formal event. No one likes dancing in pain. I understand you short people (not really... just being nice), but I say this for your own good--- don't get super high stillettos.
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11. The simple spandex cheer short

 Volleyball players. Track runners. Soccer kids. Dancers. Gymnasts. Cheerleaders. You know what I'm talking about, and yes, I am asking you to wear sports apparel under your dress. Why? When and if dancing, to spring formals you're wearing short dresses most likely. Don't you want some protection? Some freedom to move? Well then you need shorts. Prom kids, you should be alright. But if this applies to you, do follow.
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12. GET CLEAN!

I don't know how this is step 12... it's more of a 1 to me! I had Fitness in sixth period before the dance, so as soon as I entered my house after the 45 minute bus ride, I rushed to get in the shower. I had a lot to get done, as you see. So I used my shaving cream to shave (obviously), then rubbed herbal oil all over my body for moisture. The razor is a Quattro. Within three minutes of being out of the shower, I rubbed Dark Kiss lotion all over. You may have guessed I love that stuff.... hence the Dark Kiss shower gel in the above picture.
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Well, I hope these tips help you! Bye!

-H

It's Prom Season:)

It's prom season in Ohio this spring:)

So excited! My sister got a date for her senior prom, my other sister is a sophomore but since our school is so tiny she's allowed to go to prom (doesn't matter... she still doesn't wanna go... our school only goes up to grade eleven, while Charity attends a separate school), and then as for me...

The middle school formal spring dance is tomorrow! I'm soooo excited! Saturday, if not tomorrow, I will be posting original images (with my signature: crappy photography!) on what to wear to formal dances and proms and homecomings. You just don't even know...

My dress is REALLY cute!!! I feel rich when I say this: It cost me $78.00. Well... alright, it was on Clearance at Kohl's for $25.00 (I think that includes sales tax). But still, it originally was $78. Golee, can't a girl be happy she got a pretty dress for a pretty price anymore?

It's purple and black. I got a black ring, a black-and-white flower, a silver bracelet, a black shrug, and black heels. I will be painting my toenails black, with artificial fingernails. I'm kinda nervous... I've never used nail glue before.

But I am SOOOOOO excited! Like, seriously! I already have my dance tips figured out!I can't wait to post them! A few weeks ago I wrote out a prom/homecoming/dance checklist. So I'll leak one tip.

1. Buy a dress.

See ya! LoL!

-H

Frames

At firstAll you see
Is what you believe to be me
The girl with the iPod in her hand
The flower on the side of her head
But do they know me?
I wear a constant smile no one would would dare think fake
My thumbs point up to the sky when they want to fall to the ground
I'm just tired
Tired
Bored with myself
I'm patiently waiting for you to step in.
Don't you notice I'm quiet?
Don't you notice I won't speak?
Don't you notice all I know is apathy?
I've always admired those who aren't afraid
Afraid to fall
Afraid to cry
Those who don't care who sees them breaking down.
Well of course I'm not like that
It's frustrating
My brown eyes are dry
Tears won't fall
Unless they aren't supposed to.
What got me here?
Myself, I guess.
I used to know how to smile
I used to know how to cry
I used to know how to live
The way I used to be.
But whatever
"Stupid"
"Can't do anything right"
"Stay silent because it's not worth hearing your voice"
Don't believe these lies,
Don't make these mistakes,
Because you'll end up this way.
Not happy
Not alive
Not feeling... anything.
Still think you know me?
Ha.
Partially you do because
At first
All you see
Is what you believe to be me
The girl with the iPod in her hand
The flower on her head
But do they know me?
Not really.

"Safe and Sound" Covers

I love Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars' "Safe and Sound" from The Hunger Games: From District 12 and Beyond soundtrack. The entire soundtrakc is amazing... there's "Safe and Sound," "One Engine" by The Decemberists, and "Abraham's Daughter" by Arcade Fire, and more.

Many people have covered this song, so here are all of the covers I've seen, and I don't necessarily like ALL of them, but I like most.
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I love Christina, but... STOP TALKING FOR SO LONG AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR VIDEOS! On this video she cut back on the talking, thanks. It would have been a great collaboration, though, just a suggestion.

Megan Nicole and Tiffany Alvord... two girls I almost NEVER have blogged about. Their cover was the first one I heard. I like it, I just don't like THEM very much, and I don't know why. Tiffany because she collabs with EVERYBODY on YouTube and it scares me. Megan because she doesn't look very confident when she sings and rarely smiles.

This is one of my absolute favorite covers of this song. For once, someone did the "ooh ooh ooh ooh" parts perfectly! Luke Conard's collab was AMAZING on that, too. I just found out about the girl, Ellie, today. She sent me a message on YouTube telling me to look at her "A Thousand Years" cover. I'm VERY picky about that song, and she nailed it. I am SUPER picky about this song especially, but she and Landon aced it. I love how Landon took his voice down a full key but Ellie sang in the original key. i know a lot of singers who WOULDN'T like that, but I do. I love Ellie, but her stage presence is almost as bad as mine, if that's possible. Ellie, this will sound awkward, but you're beautiful (your voice=amazing!) so SMILE, girl!

Megan and Liz. Gosh, you know I LOOOOOOOVVVVEEEEE these twins, but let me be honest, here--- like I said, I am VERY picky about covers, this song especially. And if the bridge or ending aren't (both "ooh"ing) the way they originally were (I don't care if you improvise, but PLEASE keep that part the same), I probably won't like the cover. So Here it is. I kinda hated their cover. And also, the chord at 2:57 to 3:00... I don't think ANY of the covers did that right. You'd have to check the original for that. But in the original, it has this... it's hard to describe a chord.... I don't know... this feeling that shows that the song is leading up to the bridge. And all the covers just did that chorus like normal. And I REALLY liked that part in the original.

Luke Conard... I love him. Faith introduced me to Joey from WinterSpringPro, and WSP did a Hunger Games parody that I blogged awhile ago. Then that introduced me to Luke. Then Luke posted this video. They did the bridge right. I think they met all my expectations... and better!
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It all comes down to this...

Which was your favorite?

For once, I can tell you what mine are.

FIRST PLACE: Luke Conard!!!!! And no.... it's not just because you're SUPER cute. I also hear you're like, thirty, though. I pray that's not true. But I also looked you up on one of those Yellow Pages sites or something and guess what? I heard you have an average income... which I find hard to believe BUT! That means! I have a chance of meeting you. I just gotta move to Iowa.
SECOND PLACE: Landon Austin (with Ellie!). You guys like, almost MATCHED th eoriginal an dI really apreciate it.
THIRD PLACE: Megan Nicole and Tiffany Alvord. They sound great!

BYE!!!

-H

Eleven Things

So, Mrs. Jenilee is doing this thing... this is my response.

1. What is your dream vacation?

I would love to go to Ireland, England, Hawaii, Arizona (again), or China.

2. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

I didn't go anywhere...

3. If you could meet one famous person, who would it be?

Honestly? Well, if the person must be legit famous, probably Kendall Jenner (sorry, that's a Kardashian...) or Elle Fanning or Taylor Swift. Or Megan and Liz. Christina Grimmie  (she just did a cover of "In Christ Alone"!). Okay... how about Amy Grant? That's better. Nah... everyone knows I wanna meet Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson.

4. What is your favorite Bible verse?

2 Corinthians 5:17. And I am NOT quoting it because I am lazy... wait, wait... isn't that a sin? No... yes??? Okay, not exactly lazy...

5. Iced or Hot coffee?

Iced... with hot coffee I've burned my tongue MANY times... I'm not gonna risk it!

6. If you could renovate one room in your house, which one would it be?

Um... I have no control over my house, LoL. The average day of a thirteen-year-old. But if I COULD, I would turn my room into a music room where I can stash all my instruments (the bass is a toughy, though). My bed would go somewhere else... how about the sunroom that has no air conditioning or heating? Sounds relaxing.

7. How old were you when you got married?

I DIDN'T!!!! Let me guess anyway... 21???

8. Do you journal on paper or just on a blog?

Yes, I have a paper journal as well. Like, four, actually. Only two are in use (the ones I collaged in my last post).

9. Have you ever met a blog friend in real life?

Aside from the ones I already knew? Not really.

10. Do you say pop or soda?

Depends if I'm in the south or north. I don't know which says which most often anyway... long story short, I say soda.

11. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I wouldn't call myself a morning person... I get up ten minutes before my bus arrives! Yes, i'm a night owl alright... admit it: we all have tried to go to bed early, it just plain doesn't work! Like right now. It's 10:50, I'm supposed to be in the shower, probably should be asleep, and I'm blogging. Yeah.

A Tour of my House

Here's what's in my house!!!!

 This is the bass I play. I told you it's not a bass guitar...

 I collage like crazy. I love magazine papers. These are my poetry and prayer/sermon note journals.

 My guitar... sorry, my room is just a mess. It's clean now, but this is an average school day for ya.

 My piano that I rarely play, which sits next to the bass in my family room.

 MY BRAND NEW VIOLIN!!!!! On my un-made bed...so tired and stressed from homework... I wanna dive into it!

My pretty wall! Viola!