Memorial Day weekend craziness!! but loved it!

This past weekend I could re live all over again. We went to Florida for Memorial Day weekend. Derek had a 4 day weekend. We also had to visit my stepson this month started our visitation schedule. Friday night we went swimming at my parents condo in Daytona Beach. Saturday we ended up going to the Magic Kingdom. I had no idea I would be able to tolerate a packed theme park on a holiday weekend and to my surprise I did very well.
I just got over dealing with anxiety. I am and have been basically taken off of my anxiety medication , Klonopin which is a huge step for me. I thought I would have to go back on it and start taking it again because of the crowds but that was not the case. I lasted all day at disney and had a blast did not even think about me having 22q or any of my other issues. I enjoyed time with my stepson .
Sunday we spent a afternoon at the pool. I stayed most of the time in and out enjoying the long awaited two years of this time that we are now getting. Sunday evening we went to a local restaurant. Nothing like florida seafood since, we live near the gulf of mexico, Florida food is always different. We ordered gator tail and got my stepson to try it and he loved it!!
This month my husband and I also celebrated 4 years of marriage. What away to end a great month spending it with my stepson and husband as a little family that has been a long time waiting to happen!
Next month we go and pick him up fathers day weekend for the summer and have a lot of things planned.
This is a new thing for me but a wonderful thing, I am enjoying every minute of it, loving being practically rid of anxiety and on one less medication. life is good life is great prayers do get answered and life couldn't be any better for my husband and I.

Why awareness jewelry?

A lot of people have asked about my jewelry and why I started doing what I do for 22q..so here is why....

I noticed that there is not much out there for 22q, i myself have it at 33 years old and was diagnosed at the age of 25. I was searching for ideas to not only keep me busy but away to bring in some income as well.

I started my company Skattered Pieces in 2012 last summer. My husband is military as most of you know so I needed something to keep me busy. Although he does not deploy he can sometimes work long hours, and with the passion I have for raising awareness for 22q11, I thought what no better way then to make something that sparkles and shines and great conversation pieces.

I am a self taught jewelry artist getting into all kinds of things like metal, beads, and wire. I tried the clay stuff but found it can make me break out etc. I found to grow really fund of hand stamping and wire wrapping.

I have made close to 53 sales, and a lot of my work has gone all over the world. I am a stay at home wife, and even have a college degree, i however chose to do my own thing where i can work in my home so that i would have more time with my husband and family.

Sparkling is apart of me and who I am. The more sparkle the better i have always said. I love anything that sparkles wether its the sun, glitter or jewelry. I can guarantee that I always come out with something original and never done before that will catch an eye or two.

I also thought, what a great way to share my 22q story and talents with other 22q families who makes a purchase from me, I do try and remember to include my story and a letter of encouragement to families.

I have a lot of ideas, a lot of hopes, and a lot of plans. I hope to eventually start sharing my story more and even traveling to different 22q events around the country. I hope you find my page on facebook under Skattered Pieces.

I came about Skattered Pieces, because with my little mind and having 22q i can be sometimes scattered and also i have so many ideas and different materials I work with.

I have enjoyed my hobby and turning it into a business that I have grown to love and best of all it is something i have a passion for and raising awareness at the same time. I hope you visit for more ideas and watch for new things monthly. I always try to have something new that has never been done being that I love a challenge and that since my life in general from day one was a challenge . i always love trying something new.

Vcfs bracelet can be made for 22q

All these items can be billed via PayPal I do ship world wide prices will be posted soon

22q tshirts

New jewelry coming soon

I have been working hard on jewelry thinking to myself that there is no awareness jewelry for 22q I have more stuff coming :)

What's new? What's up?, what's been happening from then til now...

What's up, what's new, whats been happening from last year when I last entered a blog til now. Where is life leading us, where do we go from here?

   A lot of questions and  a lot of answers. I realized I have not written on my blog in awhile after I looked last week while home visiting my parents house. A lot has been happening since I had last written. Your what's up, what's new what's been happening from last year until now is about to be answered as short as possible, but we all know that won't happen. A lot of catching up, a lot of answered questions!

So, Derek has been home almost a year. A LOT and I mean A LOT has been going on with us. We have had many challenges etc come our way and some how we managed to hold up together and smile and become even better than we have ever been before.

We are still in Gulfport. We have about another year or so here so we think.  Health wise, we have had a few little scars and miss diagnoses from doctors here that led to me having to go back home to my original doctors and get straightened out. My last cardio visit was ok not what we wanted to here, but doc is giving us a chance to get things turned around. My Pulmonary valve pressures have gone up since a year and a half to about 50%. A lot of it is due to stress and weight gain , which is why i am forcing myself to the diet and exercise routine that has been given to me by cardiologist. Other then that health wise things are ok.

We began the adoption journey and was going to adopt, but discovered another route to go but for now we are concentrating on my health and other things we have going on. I am still making jewelry and also just recently became an origami owl rep and selling living lockets which are the cutest things ever!

It looks like Georgia is on both of Derek and I's minds next year as we possibly face becoming a civilian family again. I had no idea Derek's contract was almost up. We are  hoping for him to be able to stay in , but we will take on being a family again with the civilian life and enjoying being under one roof. We chose Georgia because doctors are there and my family are there. Once you get too many doctors on your case especially with TOF , you can get yourself in a mess which is what happened but thankfully i am straightened out and headed in a different and new direction.

I am getting used to him being home and really enjoying it. We have been able to spend the quality time together that we deserve and needed to have. He has deployed for the past 3 years we have been married and this year for once he will be home for our 4th anniversary. Hard to believe I have been married for 4 years and have made it this far with all of my issues and having 22q.

having 22q has not stopped me. I am a military wife, a step mom , a kind loving person that just enjoys life all the way around and not taking anything for granted . I cannot believe how much I accomplished and what I have accomplished since moving 6 hours away from home. I never thought that would ever happen and when it did May 2, 2009 I have not regretted it at all. I will be writing more and more this year since things are calming down for us and getting back to normal. I will answer the one question I always get how do you handle being a military wife with the journey of life that you had to face. I hope everyone has a wonderful week and if i don't get on here before easter , I hope everyone has a wonderful easter.

For anyone interested in an origami owl living locket please visit my website www.kimberlybrown.origamiowl.com . every life has a story!

take care, and always hope for Peace, Love, and a Cure for 22q and TOF!

Kimberly A. Brown

way too busy of a weekend......

     Friday started out a short day for the hubby. We also had a busy night plan. IF it was not for the new medication I am on for my depression etc, I probably would not have gone out all weekend like I have done.
     I went friday night to see one of my favorite country artist Clay Walker. I have been following him and his music since the 1990's. He was at one of the local casinos here in biloxi the hard rock casino/hotel. We had front row seats it was loud , but as always a great show.
     He talked about him being diagnosed with MS. also said that how doctors gave him deadlines and how he would be in a wheel chair by this and this time. Needless to say he beat those odds like a lot of us CHD and 22q11 babies do. He did say one thing however, that stuck in my mind all weekend that we have to do our part and beat it and not let it beat us. That entire sentence is very true and I think a lot of people tend to forget that and let some of this stuff beat them.
   Saturday we went car shopping since we put in for adoption we decided to also go down to one car and a SUV so that I would have something easier to hall kids around in that seemed to be successful and I think we found a ford explorer that the hubby and I both really liked, and we went shopping for theater seating as well since we do have a media room with a projector in our home in one of our spare bedrooms. Also Saturday night we went out for sushi etc. with some old friends of ours Mike and Brooke, who was in Derek's previous battalion with him and just got back from Afghanistan not long ago. As always we have fun together and I have known mike for a few years and we always have some good laughs about things we have done together in the past.
    Sunday was a lazy day. We have been talking about painting our living room. I had done an award wall for Derek and all of his military awards that i had framed. I enjoy showing off all of his awards, coins and also his plank ownership award as well as a beautiful hand painted seabee plate that was given to him in italy when he lived there for two years. also I have hanging on the wall both of his re enlistment certificates. I picked out a red color to bring out some of the other decor from sherwin williams. the red i picked out was from a martha stewart collection from home depot and sherwin williams didmt carry martha stewart but tried to match it as close as they could. we got home with it and it was way off and the nice lady called back the next morning to tell us to bring the paint back and she would help us pick something else out and refund our money which was GREAT customer service on their part.
       IF it was not for my new meds like my Wellbutrin, I probably would not have gone and gone and gone all weekend like I have done. I seem more up beat and not as all over the place like I have been before. My moods have been better and so has my depression. My anxiety still needs some work done on it but I go back to the doctor thursday to talk to him about it. My klonopin just puts me to sleep more then helps, but it does take away the anxiety headaches.
     This weekend flew by but it was a fun weekend. I enjoy getting out a little more now then I did before> I also got an email back from my cardiologist saying that she just wanted to see me back in six months instead of 3-8 weeks , she stated that she will do a MRI the next visit and check lung pressures more closer etc. Today I also got out and did a little bit of exercising and actually did a little bit of house work.
     I feel better, I feel normal , and most of all my happiness is coming back. I hope this feeling stays around and I hope this change stays as well. We have a busy week. I have had some orders from my etsy store come in over the weekend , and also today as well. I mailed some off this evening. I will be staying around the house this coming weekend as my husband goes to FL to visit with his little boy for his 9th birthday, Things are looking up and best of all things are looking good there is no reason to turn back now.
   As clay walker says in one of his songs. " I don't give a damn what the world says, I am gonna do what I was born to do. no turning and no running." Those are my new favorite sayings and a new things especially with 22q and CHD to live by.

   Signing off for the night, I have been finally sleeping a little bit better since i feel like a normal person now. I hope and pray everyone has a blessed week. I also will pray for all of you CHD/22q moms and survivors out there that may read my blog tonight or this coming week and please comment I would love to hear from you. Good night and God bless you all.