One Lovely Blog Award

Thanks so much to Mary over at A Body of Hope for nominating me for the One Lovely Blog Award! Here are seven facts about me:

1) I have a growing nail polish collection and recently started dabbling (quite literally!) in nail art.

2) My favorite season is fall. I love all the warm hues, crisp cool air and pumpkin spice everything at Trader Joe's!

3) Earlier this year I was diagnosed with Chiari malformation and craniocervical instability secondary to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. A few more serious diagnoses to add to the list. I am trying my best to cope with these both physically and emotionally.

4) I am currently writing a book. So many readers have told me I should write a book since I started this blog years ago and I am finally taking their advice!

5) I have mild OCD tendencies, particularly when it comes to organization, cleanliness and germs. I have never been officially diagnosed but even as a small child cleaning my room put me at ease and everything had to be in its place. As a result, I had the neatest, prettiest pink room on the block!

6) Earlier this year I experienced a startling revelation that I am no longer as young and cool as I used to be...I am still listening to stuff I listened to as a kid in the 90's and 2000's, and I still think it's much better than this newfangled music kids these days listen to! ;)

7) I wear yoga pants just about everyday. Today marks the first time in two months I have put on a pair of jeans. Why? Because yoga pants are much more comfortable, and the type I wear provide subtle compression which helps with hypermobility!

I will be contacting my nominees via Facebook shortly! I look forward to reading your posts.

Kristina

My Childhood Idol Coped with Chronic Illness Too!

Every oh so often I get nostalgic for the great 1990's. For me, my childhood represents a simpler time when I was blissfully healthy and carefree. I was always singing and dancing. And so were my friends. I fondly and distinctly remember one of our favorite childhood pastimes was to "play TLC." We would spend hours getting dressed up like TLC, performing dance routines to their music videos that we had memorized and singing along with the lyrics of every song. We even did our makeup to do our best to resemble our respective songstresses: T-Boz, Left-Eye and Chilli, the CrazySexyCool girl group that dominated the 90's and revolutionized the faces of hiphop, R&B and pop music. They were the epitome of girl power long before the Spice Girls ever came to be. All I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a member of TLC. Nevermind the fact that I was a little white girl from the suburbs. In my eyes, they were the coolest, prettiest chicks on the planet. I identified with them. They were three petite young women who could sing and dance with style. They preached about self-esteem, safe sex and friendship among other things. I absolutely idolized them. I'm certain many other little girls of the '90's shared my sentiments.

The other night I finally watched CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, VH1's biopic of the epic girl group's rise to stardom. I was extremely impressed with the casting of this film, as the actresses were dopplegangers of their characters, especially 'Lil Mama who portrayed Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes with a keen awareness of her character. She had clearly done her homework. I also appreciated the music video reenactments which were spot-on. I had a fun walk down memory lane but was also shocked by the level of turmoil each TLC member experienced behind the music. Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins' story struck a nerve within me as it hit particularly close to home. She battled a rare chronic, genetic and life-threatening condition called sickle-cell anemia and was hospitalized for it on several occasions. Initially she kept her illness a secret from the public and the press as it is largely an invisible illness. At the height of TLC's fame she came out about her illness and went on to become a spokeswoman for the Sickle-Cell Anemia Association. She was told she'd never live past 30 and never have children and she has done both. She has a beautiful little girl named Chase and is still managing to live a full life in spite of her illness.
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Her voice is still as rockin' as ever, as she and Chilli reunited in the recording studio at the end of the movie. What I didn't realize was that while TLC was touring, their second manager scheduled hospital breaks for T-Boz and had EMT's on hand at all times who were prepared to manage her condition. When I was a little girl I had no idea what my favorite singer was going through with her health behind the scenes of what I perceived as a glamorous lifestyle. Now that I have a better understanding of their personal struggles, I have even more respect for the girl group I already revered. They will always, always be my favorite. If I could ever do lunch with the remaining members of TLC, my life would pretty much be complete.

For more information about sickle-cell anemia, please visit http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/.

A Country Girl's POTS/EDS Anthem

Ironically, one of my best friends put this Rascal Flatts song on a mix CD for me on my 22nd birthday right before I got sick. Since then, the lyrics have taken on a whole new meaning. I relate to music much differently now than I did before I got sick. That's what life experience and struggle bring to the table. A deeper understanding and appreciation of language and lyrics. 

You feel like a candle in a hurricaneJust like a picture with a broken frameAlone and helpless, like you've lost your fightBut you'll be alright, you'll be alright
‘Cause when push comes to shoveYou taste what you're made ofYou might bend ‘til you break‘Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look upDecide you've had enoughYou get mad, you get strongWipe your hands, shake it offThen you stand, then you stand
Life's like a novel with the end ripped outThe edge of a canyon with only one way downTake what you're given before it's goneAnd start holdin' on, keep holdin' on
‘Cause when push comes to shoveYou taste what you're made ofYou might bend ‘til you break‘Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look upDecide you've had enoughYou get mad, you get strongWipe your hands, shake it offThen you stand, yeah, then you stand
Every time you get upAnd get back in the raceOne more small piece of youStarts to fall into place, yeah
‘Cause when push comes to shoveYou taste what you're made ofYou might bend ‘til you break‘Cause it's all you can take
Yeah, then you stand