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Health

Food Recipe

What Cookbooks Jamie Is Using

My wife has always loved collecting cookbooks. What is even better than her collecting them is she actually uses them on a regular basis. Before my diagnosis, Jamie would often use her cookbooks as a source of inspiration for our meal times. Now, I think she is capable enough to write her own. Even though Jamie is a very gifted cook, she hasn’t stopped purchasing new cookbooks. In fact, since July, the amount of new cookbooks that have been added to her her collection is at 16 (well that’s a little excessive don’t you think?

Here are her TOP 4!

1. The Minimalist Baker – Dana Schultz
2. THUG KITCHEN – (This one has a swear word in the title) – THUG KITCHEN CHEFS
3. THUG KITCHEN – Party Grub
4. Crazy, Sexy Kitchen – Kris Carr

Journey Life Update

de·pres·sion

dəˈpreSH(ə)n/
noun
1. 
feelings of severe despondency and dejection.”self-doubt creeps in and that swiftly turns to depression. 

Have you ever been there?

Depressed.
Alone.
Isolated.
Hopeless.

I can remember a time in my life when I actually thought I was untouchable. There was no way a guy like me would ever struggle with depression or be diagnosed with cancer. It was just not possible… or so I thought.

It’s hard to admit our weaknesses. We don’t want people to see us for who we really are:
Broken (but not in a bad way.
Messy.
Needy.
Scared.
Lonely.

Jamie has struggled in the past with depression. She talks very candidly about it, and how God has brought healing to her life. Does depression try and wrap it’s coils around her every once and a while? You’re darn right it does! But she keeps fighting! We have had many interesting, and difficult conversations on this topic throughout our marriage. In the past it was a topic I struggled to identify with as depression wasn’t something I had experienced before.

That all changed recently…

I don’t know the exact date when it started, but it was like wearing a 250 pound soaking wet wool blanket everyday. It was horrible. I had absolutely no motivation, and my outlook on life had become pretty bleak. Depression had moved into my life.

One hour would be long enough – let alone having to live with depression for a month or two. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if it was a life long battle. My heart goes out to those who constantly and consistently battle depression. No one should have to ‘do life’ alone, but that’s what depression does – it separates and isolates.

Talking about it was the last thing I wanted to do.

Thankfully it didn’t last long. I didn’t have to take any medicine for it, or didn’t see a doctor about it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking out help. For me, it was like someone had removed the soaking wet, wool blanket from me. It feels like I can finally stand up straight. I am motivated to get back into the swing of things, and my outlook began to change. My heart is full of vision again!

It’s only been a few weeks now since I started feeling better, but I am SO thankful for His grace & mercy!










Health Journey Update

Getting Over My Fear Of Food

There once was a time in my life (only 9 months ago) when I paid absolutely no attention to what foods I was eating. I grew up in a home that taught the importance of the four major food groups, but didn’t really follow the guide to nutrition. As all parents I am sure, mine did the best they could with what they knew. It’s the same for all of us.

We only know, what we only know.

I have been married to my wife for 11 years now. Even when we were dating, Jamie would talk about the importance of eating healthy, and paying attention to what we put in our bodies. I unfortunately never listened – until now. I am thankful for all the learning we have been doing. I was such a lazy person before. I didn’t care, or have a clue where my food came from. All that mattered to me was that it tasted good. When I look back on my life – food had become an addiction – it literally became a cancer.

Since the diagnosis, we have learned, and digested an incredible amount of information. My brain still hurts from all the reading, watching we do. It’s been good though. One area we have spent a lot of time learning about is nutrition. Not the nutrition classes we had when we were in grade school, but fascinating and complex truths about the importance of nutrition in our lives. Unfortunately, myself and countless others have ignored this aspect of truth for far too long, but thankfully it is never too late to start learning.

I immediately cut everything out of my life. No meat. No diary. No sugar. Everything I knew about food crumbled before my eyes. Life was about to take a drastic change. Drastic times call for drastic measures don’t they? So, basically I lived on juice for the first 4 months after the diagnosis. Secretly, I had become afraid of food. I thought that whatever I put in my mouth could have the potential of causing more cancer. The mind plays crazy tricks on you when you filled with poison from the chemo. I wanted nothing to do with food. It had become my enemy. It was responsible for my cancer. Now this was how I used to think (kind of). Let me explain…

Opinions are like belly buttons – everyone has one.

I have no concrete evidence on the cause of my cancer. Just an opinion.

I don’t think anyone is the absolute authority on how and why certain cancers form or when, where, and in whom they do. Cancer seems to be quite mysterious to some, and to others – the cause of cancer(s) is pretty obvious. I am more of the mind set that believes many of the leading causes of cancer are found in the foods we eat, beverages we drink, and numerous everyday chemical invested household items that are stored in our cabinets. This is just one part of the problem. There are other reasons why people develop cancer. Family genetics, our living conditions, the environment, did we or do we smoke, health, nutrition – the list goes on and on. All of these, and more, are factors which contribute to the possibility of one developing cancer. We obviously don’t have the time to unpack each one of these subjects.

Hear me out… I’m not a radical. All I am saying is that I think it is important that we should spend some time educating ourselves. Start somewhere. There is so much to learn, so don’t get overwhelmed. Find trusted resources to educate yourself with. Ask questions. For me, as I became more aware of what I ate – I slowly became less afraid of what I eat. I still have my days, but they are few and far between. I have developed a desire to become more informed of my food. Where it comes from. How it is processed…which we don’t really want to eat processed food, mind you, the conditions it is grown in. For far too long I have lived with my head in the sand. I am thankful I have finally taken it out.

I want ‘food to be my medicine’ (Hippocrates), not be the cause of my death.




Journey Life Update

Castle Fun Park – A Scary Trip

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but …

Earlier…

I had just finished my treatment at the doctors when I got an idea to take the kids to Castle Fun Park. We jumped in the Flex and headed east to CFP. The entire ride the kids couldn’t contain their excitement. It was like someone had given them a 2L of Coca Cola to drink before they got into the car. We arrived after a 10 minute ride, and went immediately to purchase our tickets. One of the traditions we have when we visit CFP is the kids get a blue slushy to drink. I think this is the highlight of the trip for the rugrats. After getting some food and their blue slushies, it was time to head upstairs and play some games.

It was our first time at CFP in a few months. They had obviously done some renovations and upgrades since we were there last. It was a blast watching the kids have so much fun. We are one of those families who haven’t really let their kids get involved with video games (and we are ok with that).

We made our way around the arcade. Each kid had their own card and could decide what games they wanted to play. It is hilarious watching 3 kids trying to figure out what game they wanted to play. I think they were on sensory overload. Part way through our evening, Memphis decided that he wanted to play ‘dome hockey.’ How many remember ‘dome hockey?’ I am not too sure if that is even the name, but oh well, that’s what we call it. We headed over to the game and made our teams. It was Nola & River against Memphis & Dad. Earlier I started to feel a bit dizzy, but nothing too much. I ignored it, and kept playing with the kids. A couple of minutes into our game and the dizziness seemed to increase, and the next thing I know – I hit the ground!

I had passed out. Where was I? How did I get here. All I remember is playing with the kids on the ground – or at least that’s what I thought I doing. Panic started to set in. I was scared. Not for me, but for my kids. They had no idea what was going on. I was out of control. Thankfully, there were two guys playing pool who had seen what had happened. They were concerned. I am sure they thought I was drunk. They called for help, and a few seconds later, two ladies showed up. I made my way to a car video game, and sat down. I still didn’t know what was going on. Nola is crying, the boys seem to be oblivious, the room is spinning, and I have no idea what is going on. Crazy! Nothing like this has ever happened to me. Things seemed to be settling down, and I was beginning to feel better after a few minutes. I called Jamie, and she arranged for the kids and myself to be picked up by our good friend Lizzie.

After a couple of minutes we headed downstairs to wait for our ride. The ladies with us were amazing! They did a fantastic job calming the kids, and even played a few games with them while we waited. Five minutes later, Lizzie & Jill showed up. As soon as I saw them I lost it. I don’t think I have ever cried so hard. I was scared – but mostly for my kids. I was relieved to see them. They just wrapped their arms around me, and assured me everything was going to be ok.

It was time to go home…

Check out the below video of our scary adventure to Castle Fun Park. You actually see the moment I pass out.

FYI – I am fine. There is nothing to worry about.