Health, 40th Bday & Move-May/June 2023
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ My latest wood art piece. :) Will be available to buy soon in the shop. :)
Hello Beautiful Souls ~ "Team Jackie" or "Thumbs-Up Jackie"
It's been crazy the last few months. I needed to take care of ''ME''. My whole mind, body, and soul. Not so much on social media the last few months or blogging, texting, calling, and whatever else. My body has been through so much and it's been scary from March through May 2023.
I figured I catch up with everyone from my Health, my 40th bday in June, and our Move from Texas to Washington Utah ( near St.George) where Tarl's family lives. My in-laws are FAMILY. He is the oldest of 9 and we're staying with his 94-year-old grandpa Jack who is so AWESOME. His health is better than mine. I'm 40 now and have had 12 surgeries and auto-immune diseases, pain, discomfort, nausea, and so many illnesses. I want to be just like him. :) My mind is great though. We all have our challenges.
So...Let's see May we moved in the middle of the month to Utah. Got rid of almost 90 percent of all stuff and put our home in Texas up for sale. Being around our family and friends and a new start was just what we both needed. It was a hard 1400-mile trip in 4 days, but Tarl drove and I helped navigate. This is also after being in the hospital off and on for the last couple of months, with literally no strength and gastroparesis, pain, and discomfort. ANGELS, GOD, PRAYERS, FASTING, & OUR FAITH ..Truly carried us here.
I have my team of specialists now here in Utah. Tarl is blessed to work from home and we're blessed to keep his Grandpa Jack company. Hoping our home in Texas sells so we can better be established. Our church ward is an amazing neighborhood. My 40th birthday was celebrated with some sisters from our church, cards, flowers, and red robin with Tarl and his parents and some siblings threw me a wonderful Little Mermaid party.
We'll go on our later honeymoon to the beach and celebrate a late party at Disney World. I haven't stopped dreaming about that, but for now, it was a fun birthday of food, laughter, and smiles, mermaid cake was amazing, making balloons, and gifts, and really what I wanted was to be together with family. Being welcomed into the family physically since Tarl and I got married on August 15, 2020, and sealed on January 23, 2021, during covid, We didn't have our family near, so it's been a long time since to finally be able to physically hug family.
In May and June, we were getting settled in and making ourselves a resident of Utah. Tarl adjusting to work and I am with my health, mental health, and signing up for school. Yes, I didn't complete my spring semester or start the Summer semester. I was set to graduate in August 2023 with my Bachelor's in Family Science. My health and mental health was so very important. I was so exhausted and had no more strength.
We're settled in and blessed. I have some family and friends here in Utah and Tarl has his family and friends and we're making friends too. WE LOVE EVERYONE around the world online and offline. We all have our own different journeys too. We have our own challenges, and sadly sometimes you plan for things, and challenges and trials happen...So, I had to back off and take time for myself.
Tarl and I have been taking time to heal physically, he hurt his hip and has been seeing a chiropractor. He's working hard with work and his creative projects. I will finish my last 7 classes in Fall 2023 * August 2023 and Spring 2024, and really just take my time. While working on my blog, health, art, music, writing, and other creative projects. Jackie Inspires is still going and will continue, just doing things more slowly and with priorities like health.
I've learned so much so far and working with some amazing specialists here in Utah. I have the regular doctor, spine/pain specialist, Rhemautologist, endocrinologist, ENT, Gastro, Surgeon, and others I probably forgot lol. Either way, my gastroparesis, inflammatory arthritis, nausea, pain, fibromyalgia, cervical stenosis, Diabetes, autonomic nervous system, and really my whole mind, body, and soul are trying to work on being level.
We love nature. We love the mountains. Being 40 and Tarl 47 we see even more now how very important health is. Both of us have lost weight and gained more strength physically, emotionally, and spiritually with all that we've endured in our lives but more importantly since being married almost 3 years. The last few months have been scary but we have put faith in ourselves, our Savior, and leaned on our closest family and friends. Through this and holding each other hand in hand we have been carried into a beautiful next chapter of our life.
Despite the challenges we face and even moving to a new state where it's absolutely beautiful, and being closer to family and friends and blessed to be in the company of Grandpa Jack, we see the miracles that brought us here and all the miracles that have taken place since we've come to this beautiful world, earth. Being 40 for me was a huge step and moment. I have let go of a lot of trauma and experienced so much in my life that I am so grateful to be alive, happier, and blessed with so many in my life along with the gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ.
There are days when my chronic fatigue and illnesses make me so tired that even the Vitamins and minerals and the shots of Vitamin B-12 don't take that fatigue away, I still keep strength and my faith. I call upon our heavenly parents for strength. Angels here and behind the veil have and continue to strengthen both Tarl and me through so many things.
I want you all to know, even the new ones that just stumble upon our website that I sure have a testimony of enduring, joy, love, faith, devotion, atonement, and miracles. We are given so many talents and passions in life to help not only ourselves but each other to grow and build faith and endurance for trials and challenges that come upon each of us in life. Please let yourself feel all emotions. Learn to seek help if you need it. Ask for help. Work on your education, skills, passions, talents, and health, especially your relationships not only within yourself but with others.
I know that sometimes you got to just take time away and be quiet with the world and there's no time limit or how often. Just make sure YOU are taken care of first. I know that I will finish my degree and work on my Jackie inspires business along with being an amazing Family Life Educator, artist, writer, singer, and whatever else in the arts I want to be. I will gain strength each day.
I am so happy to finally have strength and catch up with everyone for the last few months. Now it's July and we're getting ready for his mom's first writers conference in St. George. It's so exciting to help support each other in their dreams and talents. Why I love following and supporting wherever I can and even on social media. We all are important and shine at different moments. ''Fame'' isn't really there just sometimes others are in the spotlight more and that's OKAY.. That doesn't mean you're less important.
We love you all and appreciate all the support you have and continue to give us. Go forward in your own life with faith. I hope something has inspired you. Read through the blog posts to catch up. Check out our little shop of books, gifts, and art and just know you're thought of, prayed for, and important too.
I will continue to write and catch up as I learn more from the doctors and enjoy our new life in UTAH.
Keep Shining :) Be inspired
~Jackie Inspires~