Why do good days have to turn bad?

Quick update on the Arthritis Walk: We are just one day away from the walk now, it's tomorrow morning - yay! We have received another $140! A huge thank you to ANNE and HAROLD!!!!

Last night was amazing! I went to the Valley Chords for the first time and it was just phenomenal....truly spectacular! I loved it :) So excited to start singing with them aaaaaaaaaaaand.....we get our Christmas music next week!!!! And you all know how I feel about Christmas hahaha :) I'll do a more in depth post on this really soon.

This morning was crazy, but I got a lot done before I went to class including decorating our cedar chest:

Then I went to my Communications class and guess what?? I got a 100% on my first quiz from last week!!! :D Exciting much? I think yes haha I've gotten all As this semester so far. Month One, check!

Tonight I went to my Global Issues class. We went on a "field trip" to the Valley News (our local newspaper). Very, very cool to see the newsroom and the huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge printer and everything lol. Our teacher was awesome tonight too, laid back and shared a ton of her experiences from being a journalist herself. I got back 4 papers, comments: Great!, ü +, A, and A+ Pretty cool, huh?? I have to say....I'm pretty proud of myself.

Then tonight....I was so happy....but then things got bad. My dad was supposed to be coming up on Saturday after the Arthritis Walk, we've been talking about this a couple days. Tonight he mentioned that the girlfriend was coming too. I told him, respectfully, no thank you. I don't condone his mistakes and I've met her, I've done what I was supposed to do and I didn't like her. But anyway, I have been trying to work with him to build back an already severely damaged relationship. He ended up calling me and doing a whole lot of blaming me. Apparently everything is my fault. "You don't want to see me very much if you won't see [girlfriend] too. You're driving a wedge between us. It's your fault we don't have a relationship. You're not allowed to talk to Joanny. You telling her all the lies you've told her (I haven't told any lies...) and lying to me too hurts our relationship. This is ALL your choice. You need to grow up, you're twenty-years-old, get over yourself and have a relationship with the only father you have. If you don't want to see her, you're choosing not to see me. It's your fault if you don't have me in your life." And on and on....and on....and on....I finally hung up on me because 1) I don't need to be treated like that, 2) I don't need to be yelled at, 3) I was shaking so bad, I thought I was going to drop the phone lol....it took me a long time to calm down from that. I fear that he won't be in my life anymore. That's a hard decision to make, but I don't deserve that.

Hard night. HATE those hard nights. They come every once in awhile now and just wipe me off my feet. Wish it didn't have to be this way.

I just want a big hug....

Arthritis Walk Update

Hey all again!
I have a quick update for ya :) Since last night when I posted the last post, we've raised $40!!! Awesome! That's almost 1/6 of the way there, friends :D I'm super excited about this, we're headed in the right direction for sure!

NOTE: I was notified this morning that on the website, you can donate no less than $25. I am so sorry about this. It makes me very upset that they would set a minimum on a donation and I notified them of this as well. If this is an issue for you, please email me me at hccelie[at]gmail[dot]com (as always remove the brackets and insert the symbols!) and we will figure something out.

I'm working on some more fundraising currently, but as I said last night, every dollar helps! We are so, so grateful for all the well wishes we've received for Saturday :) let's keep fighting against this disease that affects so many people!!

To donate, click HERE or email me!

A huge thank you to Diane and Jo for their generous donations!! 

2012 Upper Valley Arthritis Walk - Please help!!!

Hello good friends,
Now, I know not many people read this anymore, but I'm hoping possibly some may come out of the woodwork to help me out with something here.

As you may know, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). I began showing symptoms in fourth grade and was finally diagnosed in my freshman year of high school. After countless doctors, appointments, medications, scans, bloodwork, and frustration....I had a diagnosis, as devastating as it was. I have learned about this disease and I make the best of it lol. Now, I am trying to help others as much as I possibly can!

One of my amazing occupational therapists and her husband also have a connection with RA. Their daughter was diagnosed before she turned two with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). They are huge advocates within the RA world here in the Upper Valley and finally their hard work has paid off in a way that everyone can see. I can proudly announce that we are having our very first Arthritis Walk in the Upper Valley! This is huge because the Arthritis Foundation does very little around here. Burlington, VT gets a walk, but that's it. So a lot of people are VERY excited about this, including me! I am trying to do as much as I can to help raise money for research to help all of the survivors dealing with RA and any other type of arthritis. 

The Arthritis Walk is three miles long (people with arthritis are  encouraged to join, hence the smaller distance). It will be held at one of our local hospitals next Saturday, September 29, 2012. I would be extremely grateful to anyone who has a little money to help sponsor my team and I. Our name is Hannah's Helpers haha! Cool, huh?? It consists of me (Team Captain!), my mom, Alicia, Aunt Donna, Aunt Gail, best friend Cateroni, and family friend Becky. I'm sure that a lot of you have a connection with arthritis in one form or another. 

Click Here to Donate

Our goal is $300 - yes, it's a bit of a stretch probably but we're hopeful! We're all doing our part to raise that money :) I would love to enlist your help, anyone willing and financially able to. Every dollar helps!

Our page through the Arthritis Foundation is HERE!
Or you can donate directly on my page as well HERE!
The page for our walk specifically is HERE. All the teams have raised $6,750 so far!! WOW!

I'm sorry to ask for money, but I promise it's for a great cause, as you can see! Thank you in advance, I appreciate everything :) I also promise to make you proud at the walk!!!

THANK YOU!!!!

Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic

It's FRIDAY!!!! Yay :D In honor of Friday, I've got a fun post for you all about a true survivor's story.

Nick Vujicic is an amazing man, quite simply. He is the President and CEO of a non-profit organization, he has traveled around the world, obtained a double Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Financial Planning, just to name a couple things. Sounds like an extraordinary 30-year-old man, doesn't he? What if I told he didn't have any limbs?

Nick was born in 1982 in Brisbane, Australia without any limbs. Yes, I do mean no arms and no legs at all. Through much doubt leading into a life lived for God, Nick is an outstanding example of how to overcome obstacles. He is quoted on his website, "If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!" His constant determination and positive mindset allows him to be a true role model for almost anyone willing to hear his story. 

On October 2, Nick has a new book coming out called Unstoppable: The Incredible Power of Faith in Action. I encourage every single one of you to consider hearing his story!

Back Cover Blurb:


And just special for you all, enjoy a sneak peek at the first chapter of Unstoppable HERE!

Now for some linkys!
Make sure to check out Nick's FABULOUS site, Life Without Limbs, HERE.
Connect with Nick on Facebook and Twitter.
Preorder Nick's book at one of these sites (or somewhere else :P) HERE or HERE!

Have a wonderful Friday, peeps!!

Hannah

College Life

Ohhhhh life has been crazy lately! Absolutely crazy! I am nearing the end of week three of my junior year of college. My new school, the Community College of Vermont (CCV), is actually going really well. I have gotten 100% on every quiz and assignment and an A on my first paper! Exciting, eh!? It's a big adjustment going from five classes twice a week to only once a week, but I actually like it. The workload is bigger, but there is more time to complete the work. Plus, there's only five due dates every week instead of a possible ten! That's definitely a plus in my mind lol. I don't think I told you what my classes are, so they are as follows:

Monday - Microcomputer Applications I (1-4pm)
Tuesday - Introduction to Nutrition (1-4pm), Foundations of Education (6-9pm)
Thursdays - Interpersonal and Small Group Communications (1-4pm), Global Issues in the Media (6-9pm)

On top of my classes and homework, my supervisor schedules me upwards of 20 hours a week. It's a lot! But it's going pretty well, as I said :) So let's throw a dance party!!!



 I think we all need a dance party every once in awhile, don't you? Just leave all your inhibitions behind and dance like nobody's watching!

Other than an update, I wanted to write a blog post about something that has been on my mind. The other night one of my friends asked me why I was even going to school if it's so expensive and I'm so concerned about my situation coming out of school. This was my response to her:

Because I want to teach.

I have wanted to teach since I stepped foot into my preschool classroom.

Because it is the only thing I have ever wanted to do. 

Because it is what I'm good at.

Because I can't have my own children that I get to supply knowledge and skills,  love, motivation, and support for and who will love me back.

Because knowledge is the only thing that can never be taken from you. 

We are in a select group of people that have the opportunity to go onto higher education. We should take advantage of that opportunity!

We should take advantage of learning all the way through life.

Because my gramma taught me that "it will all work out" so even though I'm scared of the debt and not getting a job and how hard I will have to work and whether I will even make it through college.....

it will all work out.

This is important to me.

This has been my dream since I was 4 years old.

That is why I am going to college.

College is scary! It is hard and predictable and messy and complicated, but it is also full of learning experiences, life experiences, and hopefully friends for a lifetime. 

Bananer and Cateroni :)