Silver Linings

So here we are, once again, at the end of another year! This time last New Year's Eve I was crazy, and I'm not talking: had a few too many wines whilst dancing to Auld Lang Syne with a pair of pink knickers on my head. I'm mean, rocking in my seat, bad thought's running through my brain, crying and pacing the room crazy.

 

This episode was caused by a medication called Gabapentin, which in extreme cases, causes manic episodes. After Tweeting my symptoms I found that many of my chronic pain suffering friends had, had the same issues. Annoyingly I was on 9 Gabapentin tablets a day, so it took until March/April for me to get the stuff out of my system. As a consequence I don't really remember November 2012 to March 2013, I feel as though I've been cheated out of 5 months!

I always try to see a silver lining to every dark cloud and having such bad mental health has made me grateful for "just" being in physical pain. I am in my usual winter relapse with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, but I much prefer the spasms and furious burning pains to mental anguish, I'm suddenly taking my fairly serious neurological condition with a pinch of salt. Although I have always been considerate and understanding in mental health issues, but now having experienced a minor breakdown I have a new respect for those in metal turmoil.

I've found I'm now more content with life in general and I'm coping with stress a lot better than I ever had - bonus.

Don't worry 2013 wasn't a bad year at all in the end. The highlight being the birth of my niece Abigail in January, followed by 12 days in New York with Mike and finally having work published in our local paper taking a shiny and bright bronze.

 

So what do I have planned for 2014? Well, I turn 30, finally leaving my weird and wonderful twenties behind. There is a huge possibility that Mikes work will be taking he and I to live Denver, Colorado..... yes the one in America! This being made doubly hard because my sister and her partner Dan are expecting a baby in June!

 

Niece or Nephew...coming soon! 

 

I plan on writing more for this blog, local papers and a few other projects on the horizon, you never know what opportunities will pop up. That's why I love the symbolism of New Years Eve and all the traditions of New Years day, time for new starts, new plans and the wonderment of new memories to be made.  

I'll be holding competitions and opening up this blog to new writers and projects, so keep your eyes peeled.

 

Anyway, I'll keep you no longer, have a wonderful NYE where ever you are and I wish you all a happy and healthy new year!

L x

Chocolate and Detox

So did you enjoy all the New York blogs? Or do you hate me now? If you missed any of the blogs please click the link’s below J

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6
Day 7	Day 8	Day 9	Day 10	Day 11	Day 12

If you haven’t already make sure you enter my Christmas Chocolate Competition - completely free entry and you can win the goodies below!

Christmas Chocolate Goodies!

Forever Living Dextox

After all the over indulgence in New York, I shamefully managed to gain 8lbs in weight - oops!

Every extra pound make my joints hurt even more than they already do, so I needed, not just to lose pounds but to recoup and gain some energy. As much as I loved New York I was exhausted!

Recently Mike became is distributer for a company called Forever Living. Forever are the largest grower, manufacturer and distributor of aloe vera and bee products in the world.

Mike asked if I would try the Clean 9 program, a 9 day detox using Aloe Vera juice as the base for weight loss and increasing energy.

So, I embarked on the detox and here is my honest review.

Day one and two, you take the Aloe Gel drink (it’s not that nice but palatable if you mix it with a fruit juice my choice was Cranberry or Blueberry) and  a combination of Bee Pollen and Garcinia Plus supplements. You forgo food apart from a one Forever Milkshake for the first two day. It is hard, I really missed food and during day one I was HUN.GR.REY!

On days three to nine you carry on taking the Aloe Gel, Bee Pollen and Garcinia but for breakfast and lunch you have a Forever Milkshake and you’re allowed a 600 calorie dinner in the evening. Weirdly by day three I wasn’t hungry but by dinner time but my grilled chicken and vegetables tasted divine!

Forever Living suggests you do at least 20 minutes a day of exercise. For me this wasn’t possible with the pain I’m in, so I just did my daily physiotherapy.

By day nine I’d lost 7lbs and 9inches from my body, including 3inches from my waist alone! I was chuffed to pieces!

Mike did the detox and lost 13lbs, his Dad lost a whole stone! And unlike other detox programs I’ve followed, I have not gained the weight back!

This detox is becoming so popular it was featured in the December Issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine (UK page 261)

Forever in Cosmo

Mike has kindly offered 1 Diary of Freedom reader to a Forever Living Clean 9 discount! The first person to contact me will get the detox for £85 (Our RRP is £119.24). Mike can take payment via paypal, bank transfer or cheque. If you do the detox I’d love to feature you on this blog in the near future!

I’ll be trying various Forever Living Products of the coming months (I will not recommend anything unless I’ve tried it or seen the benefits of them) so keep your eyes peels for future deals! Until then check out Mike's online store here: Feel Better! .

L xxx

New York - Day 12

If you've missed any of the 12 New York blogs click the links below!

Day - 1
Day - 2
Day - 3
Day - 4
Day - 5
Day - 6
Day - 7
Day - 8
Day - 9
Day - 10
Day - 11

New York - Day 12

Our alarms went off at 5am, not for an early flight or pre dawn check out. I wanted a photo with the Wall Street Bull, without a million people crowding round it! The business district is very quite on weekends like in any city but the Bull constantly had people surrounding it.

Our 5am date with the Wall Street Bull

So with just one police car for company we took it in turn for pictures and a quick rub of the Bulls balls (it’s good luck, there are defined rub marks!) before heading back to our hotel to pack. Again, I mean Mike packed, carefully rolling up our clothes, protecting our gifts and trinkets. I on the other had fallen asleep in an armchair gracefully dribbling over my left shoulder - sexy!

Once I had woken, Mike had finished packing and we had checked out; we went to lovely restaurant for brunch and New York staple! For bloody Mary’s and Eggs Benedict! 

With a couple of hours until our airport bus would arrive, we went to the Hilton Hotel bar. Mike on his laptop me reading when I fell asleep with my head in the book that was lying on the table - where a now infamous phone was taken!

A tad sleep

Our bus arrived 2 hours early so we had a lot of waiting around in the airport even resorting to playing eye spy! When we eventually were able to check our luggage in United Airlines were atrociously bad mannered and unhelpful. The check in support woman proceeded to mock our accents (and not in a cute way!) and when we asked about checking in the wheelchair she told us it wasn’t her job and that being a member of their miles club was irrelevant even if I had prebooked support before making the trip.

We had time to kill and dollars to use up, looking for a few last minute bits, when I needed to use the bathroom and whilst in there a woman actually asked me “Don’t you people have your own bathroom?” bloody cheeky mare!

When we got to our gate we spoke to a lady called Laura who said she’d see what she could do since we’d been placed at the back of the plane with no assistance or paperwork for the wheelchair.

Annoyingly Laura came back and said that there was no where else for us to be seated and proceeded to look blankly at us. So a said “So.... how am I getting to my seat?” to which she replied “I don’t know” - Helpful!

I then asked if they had the aisle wheelchairs available and the United staff were like “Oh yeah, great idea” - I wanted to bang my head against the wall at this point.

When we eventually got to our seats and got comfy, my instructions to Mike were that I would be going to sleep, I didn’t want any food, drinks or loo trips. That’s exactly what I did, I slept the whole 8 hours home. Mike didn’t, he was awake all night watching movies trying to stay on US time as we were getting home Monday Morning and he was flying straight back to work in California the following day - poor dude!

We got to Heathrow and Mike’s Mum picked us up. Arriving home we had to unpack immediately so that Mike could repack all over again, no rest for the wicked!

On Tuesday Mike had left by 6am and I sat in our living room alone, thinking “A week ago I was sailing on the Hudson and sitting on top of the Empire State Building” I couldn’t help be a tad sad!

New York is an amazing city and we had the most spectacular time. I would highly recommend visiting such a vibrant and energetic place, it is very expensive but if you plan your trip and look up deals it doesn’t have to be so pricey. If you’re a movie or TV fan it’s so much fun to see all the places from your favourites.

Despite 12 days in New York there was so much more we didn’t get to do, Mike and I have decided to return to the city for our 35^th Birthdays in 5 years for another big city adventure!

L x

P.S... I leave you with this awesome Squirl who was working his angles.....

 ....work it, my furry friend.... work it!

L x