more... The editing was nothing short of a home-grown cinematic masterpiece.

I remember the feeling it gave me after having watched it. I was so proud of being a part of a community who could do something like that. Every aspect of it, from the writing, the actors, right down to the music soundtrack created for the piece...everything about it spoke of people doing their part to create something special for the sake of fun and creativity.

That movie, to me, embodies all the positive elements of what the people of LiveVideo are about.

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A small article titled "Snake Venom Face Cream is Best-Seller" in A London newspaper caught my eye recently. It was about a face cream made from the venom of an Asian snake called the Temple Viper.

The makers of this anti-ageing daily moisturiser claim that the synthesised viper venom contained in this beauty product "stuns" the skin, helping to keep it smooth. They say it gives "Botox-like results" without the needles. Apparently, another benefit is that users still retain facial movement and so can more freely express their emotions.

It retails at 60 per pot and has been flying off the shelf at an average rate of about 50 per day. You do the math. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge anyone spending vast sums of money on beauty products.

However, this is what made me smile (heaven forbid I should deepen my laughter lines!). Medical experts said that the cream would have to be used regularly to have an effect.

So what has this got to do with achieving your goals? Several things

1. Many individuals are looking for a quick fix and are willing to pay top dollar for something that they think will give them the results they desire. They are looking for solutions that will require the minimum amount of effort and that's fine. We should all strive to work smart but as they say:

"The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price."
Vince Lombardi

Unfortunately, many women have a stash of creams and lotions all that had big promises but after a few uses were discarded for the next new miracle concoction. Does this sound familiar?

2. It's my guess that many of the women buying this anti-ageing cream are probably not doing some of the things that would naturally assist their longevity and appearance of youthfulness. Some may neglect their diet, fail to exercise on a regular basis, fail to get adequate sleep, spend too little time outdoors or in some cases too much time.

Some will heavy drinkers and smokers. Suddenly, the effects of hard-living starts to catch up with them and they then spend a fortune in an attempt to re-capture what they've lost without giving their lifestyle the overhaul it needs.

Many individuals are working superficially to achieve their goals or are sabotaging their success in some way and yet are frustrated that they are not achieving the results they desire.

3. I see lots of women with self-esteem issues who use expensive make-up, beauty creams, facelifts, and other nips and tucks to help compensate for their lack of self-esteem. These outward tactics can be very helpful. However, even more powerful is when you do the inner work to boost your self-esteem. This remains after you wipe off the make-up and step out of whatever clothes you are wearing and into your own skin.

"Self-esteem isn't everything; it's just that there's nothing without it."
Gloria Steinem

If you want to achieve your goals:

1. Ensure that the goals you set are holistic and cover every area of your life so that you live a harmonious life.

2. Be prepared to put the work in. However, work so that you maximise your efforts.

3. Work on maintaining your physical, mental and emotional well-being each and every day this will give you a strong foundation for the challenges that you will undoubtedly face.

4. Invest in your personal growth, time-wise and financially. There are lots of excellent free resources available but there will come a time when in order to achieve a new level of success a financial investment will become necessary.

5. Ensure you choose goals that you are passionate about because it will be an uphill battle otherwise.

6. Build your self-confidence and self-esteem - these are critical to your success.

And remember:

"The best way to gain self-confidence is to do what you are afraid to do.

Similar posts: heart open surgery

Here are my thoughts for Beth:
As patients, we enter the operating room with two critical thoughts. The first thought is, Please let me live! The second thought is Please fix my heart so that I can live longer!
After surgery, the relief of living and having fixed hearts is not enough for many patients. Instead, many patients are bombarded by difficult thoughts relative to pain, complications and ultimately, a challenged recovery. That said, these thoughts can manifest in emotional and behavioral changes after heart surgery.
In my own research, I learned that 30%-75% of patients report feeling anxious or depressed after heart surgery. Thats a pretty significant number. Personally, I experienced both emotional and behavioral changes following my valve replacements. I was moody. I was irritable. I was fatigued. I was tired of the pain.
As Doctor R. Scott Mitchell notes, I think the cause of cardiac depression is entirely unknown But, it could be the psychological effect of anticipating surgery, the prolonged time under anesthesia, or the results of the heart-lung machine.
On this note, reports suggest that these emotional and behavioral shifts are increasing in frequency. In the opinion of many, this increase is directly related to short hospital stays in which patients are discharged too quickly after the operation. Today, patients are in the hospital five days on average. In the past, patients would have ten to fifteen days in the hospital to assimilate their new reality, according to Dr. Richard Fogoros.
As to what can be done about the emotional changes after heart surgery, I took several guided steps including attending cardiac rehab classes, spending less time alone, ending my use of Vicodin, etc.

Similar posts: heart open surgery

Good Morning Everyone!
(as it is 8:00am +/- here!)
As the Tropical Storm Fay will be approaching - Ill get this
out before the threat of losing power.
During this storm period
Tomorrow - Wednesday - August 20th-is when Mom I will go with Daddy to the hospital for Pre-Op.
We are to be there at 10am and when they called yesterday - Daddy said they told him we would be there for about 2 hours - taking all the necessary test - and would also be showing a video of what will be happening.
Thenon Thursday-August 21st-is when the Open Heart Surgery will take place with our arrival at the hospital to be at 5:30am with the surgery scheduled for 7:30am.  The brochure stated that the surgery would take 4-6 hours - but I do not know how many procedures that was talking about.  With Daddy having the replacement and three by-passes - I would think that the time would perhaps be longer.  (When the hospital nurse person who called about the Pre-Op stuff told Daddy it would be 2-3 hoursI dont think that nurse knows!) 
While it will be a very long and trying time for us we are strong and will get through this.  Just please keep us in your prayers especially Daddy.
We could lose whatever with the storm - but Daddy will be safe in the hospital and that is what is most important.
So get those prayers ready and continue to keep Daddy in your prayers and thoughts.  We always need prayers - sharing love.
I will let you know just as soon as I can.
Love to you all.

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here.
Truth be known, by the time we had biked to Wyoming, there were several times along the way where Carson was on the verge of pressing the bike trip's red abort button. Day 26, outside Dubois, WY was no exception. The conditions generally had not wanted to cooperate. Through 50 miles on this day, the goings were great. The scenery was beginning to change and become the sweeping landscapes we often see on a postcard. The things short notes were made of, however, quickly changed. First came the darkening clouds, then lightning bolts that surrounded causing Eric to take cover in a thicket of trees, then the hail... after it cleared, Carson returned to the bike to find 40+ mph headwinds and eventual driving rains. About 6 miles from Dubois, a man in a truck pulled up and offered a ride. Mercy at last.

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To navigate the social universe, you need to know what others think of youalthough the clearest view depends on how you see yourself.
While many profess not to care what others think, we are, in the end, creatures who want and need to fit into a social universe. Humans are psychologically suited to interdependence. Social anxiety is really just an innate response to the threat of exclusion; feeling that we're not accepted by a group leaves us agitated and depressed.
The ability to intuit how people see us is what enables us to authentically connect to others and to reap the deep satisfaction that comes with those ties. We can never be a fly on the wall to our own personality dissections, watching as people pick us apart after meeting us. Hence we are left to rely on the accuracy of what psychologists call our "metaperceptions"the ideas we have about others' ideas about us.
The bottom line: It comes down to what you think about yourself
Your ideas about what others think of you hinge on your self-conceptyour own beliefs about who you are. "You filter the cues that you get from others through your self-concept," explains Mark Leary, professor of psychology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Our self-concept is fundamentally shaped by one person in particular: Mama. How our mother (or primary caregiver) responded to our first cries and gestures heavily influences how we expect to be seen by others. "Children behave in ways that perpetuate what they have experienced," says Martha Farrell Erickson, senior fellow with the Children, Youth and Family Consortium at the University of Minnesota. "A child who had an unresponsive mother will act obnoxious or withdrawn so that people will want to keep their distance. Those with consistently responsive mothers are confident and connect well with their peers."
As an infant scans his mother's face he absorbs clues to who he is; as adults we continue to search for our reflections in others' eyes. While the parent-child bond is not necessarily destiny, it does take quite a bit to alter self-concepts forged in childhood, whether good or bad. People rely on others' impressions to nurture their views about themselves, says William Swann, professor of psychology at the University of Texas, Austin. His research shows that people with negative self-concepts goad others to evaluate them harshly, especially if they suspect the person likes themthey would rather be right than be admired.
The top line: You probably do know what people think of you
But it's likely you don't know any one person's assessment. "We have a fairly stable view of ourselves," says Bella DePaulo, visiting professor of psychology at the University of California at Santa Barbara. "We expect other people to see that same view immediately." And they do. On average there is consensus about how you come off. But you can't apply that knowledge to any one individual, for a variety of reasons.
For starters, each person has an idiosyncratic way of sizing up others that (like metaperceptions themselves) is governed by her own self-concept. A person you meet will assess you through her unique lens, which lends consistency to her views on others. Some people, for example, are "likers" who perceive nearly everyone as good-natured and smart.
Furthermore, if a particular person doesn't care for you, it won't always be apparent. "People are generally not direct in everyday interactions," says DePaulo. Classic work by psychologist Paul Ekman has shown that most people can't tell when others are faking expressions. Who knows how many interactions you've walked away from thinking you were a hit while your new friend was actually faking agreeability?
And there's just a whole lot going on when you meet someone. You're talking, listening and planning what you're going to say next, as well as adjusting your nonverbal behavior and unconsciously responding to the other person's. DePaulo calls it "cognitive busyness."
Because of all we have to contend with, she says, we are unable to effectively interpret someone else's reactions. "We take things at face value and don't really have the means to infer others' judgments." Until afterward, of course, when you mull over the interaction, mining your memory for clues.
Context is key
While our personalities (and self-concepts) are fairly consistent across time and place, some situations, by their very structure, can change or even altogether wipe out your personality. You might feel like the same old you wherever you are, but the setting and role you happen to be playing affect what people think of you. Suppose you describe yourself as lighthearted and talkative. Well, no one could possibly agree if they meet you at your brother's funeral.
What type of person can handle feedback
Are you open to experience? Are you, say, perennially taking up new musical instruments or scouting out-of-the-way neighborhoods? If so, your curiosity will drive you to learn new things about the world and yourself. You'll be inclined to ask people how you're doing as you embark on new challenges, and you will gather a clearer idea of how you come off to others, says David Funder, professor of psychology at the University of California at Riverside.
People endowed with the trait of physical awareness have a keen sense of how they present themselves. If you are concerned with the observable parts of personalityvoice, posture, clothes and walkas an actor would be, says Funder, "you will control the impression you give, and your self-perception will be more accurate." If, for example, you slouch but don't know it, your droopy posture registers in the minds of those you meet and enters into how they see youunbeknownst to you.
If you are someone who craves approval, you will tend to think you make a positive impression on other people. And generally, you will, says DePaulo.
People who have learned to regulate their emotions are in a much better position to know what others think of them, says Carroll Izard, professor of psychology at the University of Delaware: "They are able to detect emotions on others' faces and to feel empathy." If you are either overwhelmed with feelings or unable to express them at all, it becomes difficult to interpret someone else's response to you. Learning to give concrete expression to your feelings and to calm yourself in highly charged moments will give you a much better grip on your own and others' internal states.
Those with personalities that feed the accuracy of their metaperceptions are handsomely rewarded. "The more accurate you are about how others perceive you, the better you fare socially," says Leary. "Think of a person who thinks he's really funny but isn't. He interprets polite laughter as genuine laughter, but everyone is on to him and annoyed by him."
And what kind of person rejects feedback
There are people who behave in ways that prevent them from getting direct feedback from others, which renders them less able to know how they come off. Maybe you're a boss who is prickly and hostile in the face of criticism. Or a student who bursts into tears over a bad evaluation. Either way, coworkers and teachers will start leaving you in the dark to fumble over your own missteps.
Such demeanor may even encourage others to lie to you, says DePaulo. You may project a fragility that makes others afraid they will break you by offering honest criticism.
Narcissism also blocks metaperception. Instead of wincing, as "normal" subjects do, when forced to see themselves onscreen, narcissists become even more self-biased, finds Oliver John, professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley. When he and his team videotaped people diagnosed as pathological narcissists, a group absorbed with themselves, their subjects loved watching the footage and uniformly thought they came off beautifully! The finding underscores how fiercely we defend our self-concepts, even if they reflect psychological instability.

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I have started this blog several times and then deleted it. There is so much going on and my emotions are going crazy at times. So many changes in our lives. Not to mention that I have worked hard and that I am sore and tired.
Here are some of the changes around here:
First, Sean and Heather are gone with their children. They moved to Puerto Rico. Sean left last week and Heather and the children left this week. I have cried so much and just the thought of them leaving us was hard. We were hoping up until the last minute that it wouldnt happen. But they left and they are excited. They are renting a house with a pool and I am sure they use it every minute they can. The  LDS members in Puerto Rico have been so wonderful to them, welcomed them with open arms, took time off work to pick them up at the airport, donated or sold very cheaply all the furniture they could possible need. So they seem to be all set.
They did send a few boxes by mail, which was the least expensive way to get things there. The people in line at the post office were probably going crazy when they saw all the boxes. We just kept bringing them in. They were also totally loaded with things on the airplanes, such as a surf board, guitars, golf clubs and car seats, besides all the regular bags. And there were quite a few adventures associated with it all.
 I am sure this will be a great experience for them. The children will learn Spanish and it is a new adventure. Their house here isnt sold, yet, and they are trying to rent it out for now. We were there mowing the lawn and pulling weeds today. It was also a lot of work to get everything sent out, given away, sold etc. They worked at it for several months, but there was so much to do even at the last minute.
I will miss not having my three little grandchildren here. And I will miss the whole family at our Sunday dinners, playing games and Saturdays boating on the lake, and everything else. I am just glad we moved here to Utah when we did so that we got to have this time together. We still have other childen and grand children here but Sean and Heather and their children will be so missed by all of us. We will just have to make trips to Puerto Rico now and then.
Ed has done so well, eating right and losing weight and getting plenty of exercize. He looks great. He does get tired a lot and needs a good nap every day, but that is nothing new for him. He just transfered from Orem High Seminary to Lone Peak High Seminary, the school Linnea and Kayla go to and it is only a mile and a half from the house. So we have been very excited about that.
But then he had some medical tests done the other day and he came home all excited because he felt he did so well. The next day he went back for the results and the news were not good. He has some blockage in his heart. He should do it earlier, but he has an appointment for June 24 to have another angiogram. At that time, they will either put another stent or two in, if they can. If they cant, because it is in a difficult spot, they will do open heart surgery. He has now been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He was in shock. He is afraid to do anything too hard. But we do go for walks every day. He has really looked forward to going to Oceanside and stay in our new condo there for a few days, so we are going next week. He is also playing with the Stingers for our friend, Lori Wilson, for her retirement party. He is excited about that, too. We just dont know what will happen with our Hawaii trip in July. Hopefully, everything will work out for the best.  I know lots of people live a long time with heart problems and he may live a long time still.
My parents are here with us, still. They are planning on going back to Sweden to live for a while. They have lots of their things stored here in our basement and they are going through everything and getting rid of some things. We will miss them when they go, but we will keep a room or two for them here. My dad is working in the yard and has built a wall and stairs etc, for a great garden area. He loves to work and create things and we are benefiting.
I got to visit Eddy and Heather in Arizona for a few days. That was the first time I had visited them in their home. I had a great time. And I will go back again soon. Heather is expecting their first baby about Oct 1. Their home is great. Heather, especially, has decorated it so nicely. I also got to visit with Marta, my mother-in-law and see how she is doing. It was great to see her again, too. She lives very close to Eddy, so they see each other now and then.
A couple of weeks ago we drove to Oceanside to fix up our condo there. I mentioned it earlier. Ed just missed the beach so much that when the opportunity knocked, he bought a small condo. My mom and I worked on it. Lots of cleaning, lots of decorating, lots of fixing things. Danny and his Swedish girl friend, Natalia,  was with us, too, but since it was her first time in California, there was plenty of other things for them to do. The condo will be a place where we and our children can go any time and enjoy the beach and the nice weather and of course visit friends. We furnished it and we have the necessary items there to be comfortable.
Danny left for Sweden the day before Sean left for Puerto Rico. Danny is planning on staying in Sweden until Aug 6. He went to Sebastians wedding, and he is planning on visiting lots of family over there. He also has Natalia, whom he met online, that he is visiting. She is a cute LDS Chilean girl from Uddevalla, Sweden. She was here for a month and then they both left for Sweden. Well see what happens there. It is a little quieter here without Danny and we miss him. Linnea is enjoying not having to share a car or a bathroom with anybody. Danny worked hard learning Swedish and I hope he is learning lots more over there. Natalia speaks Spanish, too, so they have three languages to choose from.
Linnea is done with school, and all of the grandchildren, too. Before school ended, Linnea found out that she made the chamber choir at the school for next year, so she is very excited about that. She also got her first job. It is a new restaurant that will open soon and she will work as a waitress. I just dont know how she will do everything this summer. She is one of the stake youth leaders for girls camp, she is going to EFY later in the summer, and she wants to go to Oceanside and also to Hawaii if we go. And she is busy with karate and their exhibition team. She is growing up. Only one year left of high school.
Aaron had shoulder surgery and his shoulder is quite immovable, and he is in the middle of taking his CPA tests. I know he will be so excited to be done  with the tests.
Lisa did quite well her first year of school. Not easy with a broken leg and trying to take care of five children. I am very proud of her that she did not give up. Her Danny is not living at home again. I am glad we live close by.   
I am sure I forgot lots of things that have happened but I am getting tired.
Ed wanted to go camping last night, but to make things easier, we just put the tent up in the back yard and Ed and I slept in it. Lisa and her kids slept in the trailer. We live in such a beautiful place and have the mountains right behind our house. We also have a fire pit in the back yard to enjoy any time. We did notice that the birds are sure loud in the morning.  And Ed discovered that his air mattress didnt hold air. We are sleeping in our bed tonight.

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hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

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Earlier this month I joined Toastmasters. If you are not familiar with Toastmasters it is an organization that helps people with their communication skills at its very basic definition. It really is so much more than that and I'm very excited about being a member. Everyone is there for the same reason and each person takes an active part in the bi-weekly meetings from giving a planned or impromptu speech to members taking turns evaluating one another and learning the various jobs that are involved in the meeting positions. I can see so many possible benefits for being a part of an organization such as this. A few benefits that I can think of would be: enhancing self-esteem, speaking skills, communication, listening, leadership, giving and receiving evaluations, responsibility, accountability, meeting new friends and community members...like I said I'm really excited about this new venture. It is really outside of my comfort level but is something I've heard about for years and always wanted to do. I have spoken to groups in the past and have enjoyed it but that was a few years ago and nothing like what I'm experiencing (or will be experiencing) now. I've never given timed speeches or been formally critiqued. I've also not given many of the different types I'll be required to give through the following "Toastmaster year". Additionally there is always a person who holds the role of Grammarian each week and points out any grammatical faux pas as well as "speaking fluff" like "ummms" and "ahhhs" to every person who speaks during the evening. That in itself is very intimidating to me because I am not good at grammar at all. In fact I (not gramatically correct) SUCK at grammar! *smile* I love to write and can't stand grammar! I just know God really has a sense of humor! Grammar...I just don't "get it!". It's not my thing. In fact as you read my blogs, if you are an English major (or minor!) or grammarian by nature then you will either laugh or cry at my naked unedited writing. I'm 100% certain that there is at least one grammar error. At least. At the very least. *smile*

So anyways, tonight I gave my first speech at the Toastmasters meeting in front of my fellow Toastmasters. It was a timed speech required to last from 4 to 6 minutes. I was very nervous walking to the podium and my hands were "convulsing" before I started but things went very well. In fact they went so well that I'm happy to say that I won a first place ribbon for "best speaker"! I'm so psyched! It's not in my nature to brag. Now I can feel comfortable to blog!

When I first developed my icebreaker speech I had to write it out completely. That's just "how I do" :-) When giving the speech I obviously didn't have it written out and spoke with bullets or "memory joggers". Since I obviously kept the written out version I figured I'd share it here for anyone interested. If your not interested just pretend and celebrate with me this special evening and personal achievement for me!! The speech was required to be about me. It is as follows:

Invincible Summer

Thank you Madame Toastmaster and fellow toastmasters

I recently attended a college graduation. As I looked at all the students preparing to pursue their dreams I started to wonder how they will react when some people offer discouragement instead of encouragement. Would they give up their dreams? What about myself, how have I responded to challenges in my own life? I came across a quote that I think adequately answers that question. Its a quote by Albert Camus. It says:
In the middle of winter, I have discovered in me an invincible summer.

Let me explain...

I grew up in Vermont as the little sister of three older brothers. Growing up as the baby girl in a house of mostly men I had to work extra hard at being heard or taken seriously. Most of the replies to my ideas or desires were met with re too young to understand or you cant do that. Youd think that after hearing this over and over again I would become discouraged. Instead it created in me a drive to do the things I really wanted to do despite what others thought. If I had a passion for something, despite what my brothers said, my teenage response with all its infinite wisdom would be: Humph. Yes I can.

At fifteen I met a boy in high school two years my senior. When he gave me a promise ring a year later no one took it seriously. I was too young to understand. We continued dating until he went away to the military for a couple of years during which time we became engaged. We were told long distance relationships dont work. When I was 18 I graduated high school and we married. Instead of encouragement we were told it wouldnt last. We didnt understand what we were getting into. We were too young. Its been almost 24 years since my high school sweetheart and I walked down the isle. When we are reminded of the struggles and people who discouraged us I sometimes smile to myself and think: Humph. Together we can.

The military took us immediately to the south and when I re-entered the work force I quickly saw that the positions I wanted either required a degree or were 95% male where we lived. I knew the jobs I wanted to pursue but again heard from those around me: re too young. You need a degree. You cant do that. With dedication and hard work I found myself a few years later at work on the military bases working on computer training systems. My professional career had me working along side retired and active military officers. I worked everything from security investigations to training analyst. When I decided to leave the work force I closed the door to my office having achieved what I set forth to do. I felt fulfilled and thought to myself: Humpph. Yes, I did.

Most of my life I have had to struggle with an anxiety disorder that surfaced when I was 17 years old. Its presence devoured my freedom and at its worst restricted me from staying alone, driving a car, or being able to walk to the mailbox. I became house bound for a time as I dealt with what is known as Agoraphobia. This anxiety disorder told me without words that I was going to live a restricted life. And I did for awhile. But the harsh season couldnt continue forever. Like the quote says I found in me an invincible summer. And slowly I began the process which continues on today as I face each day as a new challenge. With a lot of work and determination I regained back control of my life. And to help others facing the same challenge I set out on a dream to write a book about my experiences that others could look to for hope and encouragement. It took 20 years of experience and four years to write but with persistence I am a now a first time author. My book will be available before the end of this year.

Im not exactly certain why I have developed a determination to pursue my goals despite the odds. Id like to blame some of it on my brothers because blaming them is something I also learned growing up. But regardless my past experiences have helped me with my actions today with my own family. Growing up with three brothers I felt ready to handle raising our own three boys. As they have voiced their passions in life I have learned that I want to be one of the encouraging people in life that says: Yes you can. Go get your dream! When they have obstacles in life I want to be the one that says: Keep going. You can either overcome it or go around it. Sadly however I have also learned that in addition to these truths, rarely do I ever hear the words your too young now. In fact when I dont act my age, which is the majority of the time, and one of my children rolls their eyes and gives me that look that says: mom, you cant act that way!. I now smile and look at them and say: humph. Yes I can.

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For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:17)
When my youngest child was six months old, she had a coarctation of the aorta and had to have surgery to have it repaired.  This is a narrowing of the aorta and can cause death if it is not corrected.  Typically it is found in the first few days of life.  For her, it was found in the fifth month of life.  We received a call 1 month after her sixth birthday from the surgeon that did her coarctation repair.  He said she would need another surgery, this time open heart surgery.
If you have children, you know how agonizing it can be to hear those words.  I remember just going outside and crying and asking God why someone so little had to have such an adult operation.  I was worried, but then God reminded me what faith really is.  Faith is the first action in the heart.  F A I T H.  There are many things in this life that build our faith and many things that cause our faith to waver, but it always takes place first in the heart.  Jesus told us that it was not what went into our bodies that made us unclean, it was what came out of hearts that made us unclean.  Our hearts, be it the physical pump in our chests or be it the sybmollism of our spirit, are what make us or break us.  Our hearts keep us alive and our hearts can be what cause our deaths.  Jesus wants to be in your heart.  Not so you can say a prayer and claim to be a Christian, he wants to be in your heart so that He can make a difference in your life.  He can change your heart and open it up to a world you never knew existed. Hes knocking, standing at the door.  Wont you let Him in?
Years after my daughters heart surgery, she is vibrant and full of energy.  The surgeon changed her heart the first time, but some day when she grows up and accepts Christ as her savior, He will change her Heart forever.

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Having attended Amber's graduation on SAturday, I'm thinking how gratefful I am for an "achieving " family. Amber finished High School with a high GPA and a respectable list of activities. She has remained very much her own person in the process and has achievable big plans for the future.
Spring graduations and seeing the accomplishments of young people puts me in awe of all they can do.
Do not waste your time on earth; work hard, study hard, play hard at times, get to know God, make friends, be kind (even to jerks), travel, take a few reasoned chances, love deeply, and endure so that when you die you will have no regrets about what you did not do.
As a family we are "achievers". Among the Wilkins, Starks, Pearsons, Rysers, and Blaisdells we have no slackers, no delinquents, and no drop outs. We have university grads, high GPAs, high SAT's (Jonathan and Amber), missionaries (most recent; Comrade Justinksi with others coming up), military (Courtney), personal strength ( Val Mel), musicians, an artist (Brooke), two French speakers, strong mothers and integrity. The future is bright for us as long as we maintain and pass on our values.

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What is vacation anyway? Is it about really relaxing or is it about seeing a bunch of new and stimulating things? Is it about settling in and re-energizing, or is it about taking new risks and discovering something new in yourself? One woman’s cake is another woman’s to-do pile. There is no answer. But then ask yourself these questions: Say you are in China. Your are about to see the Great Wall or the Terra Cotta Soldiers (or maybe you are in Paris to see the Louvre and Eiffel Tower)…Take your pick on venue. And then some great, friendly person comes along and you feel a connection. They are local and have grown up in China (or France) and they really want to bond with you. They say, “You can come stay with me and meet my family, live like a local and I’ll introduce you to friends and fix you dinners…But if you do that you have to come now, and you have to skip the terra cotta soldiers.” There is some pressing time matter so this opportunity is an either-or thing. What do you do? Do you go for the ancient monument, the thing that will be there forever, the thing that everybody KNOWS and will ask you about, or do you go for the relationship, the people experience, the unknown?
There is no right answer, and for some people their answer is immediate and obvious. For others it’s obvious in the other direction, and for others still this is a truly difficult and unknown decision, maybe answered only by a dandelion hair flying by. I try sometimes to formulate a philosophy around my travels, although I’m still working on it. The best way for me to go about it is to look back and decide what travels across the years were the most meaningful, and what it was that worked so well, and focus on those things, and fostering those types of moments again.
So I look back. Thirty-five countries. Travel alone, travel in groups, travel with kids, spouse, parents, siblings, cousins, friends. Classes, free-form travel, scheduled travel. Exotic places, mundane places, rural and urban spots, homestays, volunteerism, study tours, duty vacations. Beaches, mountains, lakes, high-rises, hotels, houses, hostels, hikes. Where do I begin? The trips that really jump out at me are the ones where I have shared them with significant others and we still talk about them. We remember the sardines we bought off a truck we chased, cleaned in a marble sink and fried on the grill of a Portuguese patio. We remember when Andrew ate all the rolls delivered each morning by the bread man and then he looked so happy and so guilty. We remember when Thorne offered to take us all snorkeling and diving in the Mediterranean sea, and he was the only one who didn’t get the beautiful woman leader. He got the surly man who grabbed him by the wetsuit to show him what to do. We remember when Cindy led us all in yoga in the front hall of a perfect fifties-style Palm Springs house, or when Neil and I got like 20 bags of candy each on Christmas Eve in Mexico when we walked around to the village houses. Not to say that adventures alone or with one other are pale by comparison; they dont. They have their own great beauty and challenges that live on in different ways. But I really have to say, there is something about talking about your trips over and over again with friends and relatives upon return that keeps them alive in a wonderful way. In some ways, the vacations are about strengthening relationships we already have. It makes me want to travel with friends and family more than ever. It is as if I get the trip once, twice, three times. I love that.
But now I guess I’m venturing into memory territory. Because memory becomes what we make it become through sheer repetition of stories. Someday maybe I won’t need to travel. I can just repeat the same story, hear it back from those around me, and get enough pleasure from that. In the meantime, I’m searching for a house in Greece that holds at least one family, but preferably two or three…people I’ll grow old with, people who will remember the time we lived in a white house on a rocky shore and dared each other to jump in the ocean at the stroke of midnight while reciting a verse from Homer….

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All rights reserved. Use of this website, Heart-Valve-Surgery.com assumes acceptance of the terms herein. All logos, pictures and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. This website has been developed and presented by Adam Pick, author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. Patient's stories herein, and the language used regarding heart valve replacement and heart valve repair, is intended to inform and educate. HOWEVER, it does not imply that you or anyone else will receive the same outcome. As with any medical procedure, results will vary among individuals, and there could be pain or substantial risks involved. These concerns should be discussed with your health care provider prior to any treatment so that you have proper informed consent and understand that there are no guarantees to healing. Adam Pick does not offer medical advice on this website. This information about valve replacement and repair is offered for educational purposes only. Do not act or rely upon our information without seeking independent professional medical advice. The transmission of this information does not create any relationship between you and Adam Pick. Adam Pick does not guarantees the accuracy, completeness, usefulness, or adequacy of any information available at or from this transmission.

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Every week, I scour the video portal's latest submissions and pick my top five favorites. Just because you don't make it into the top five does not mean that you're video wasn't good. We just have so many good videos that they're hard to choose from!

Gah I'm late again, sorry, I plan to be up to date by the end of the week. Hopefully. Also sorry for those who check the blog often it hasn't been updated in a while. I haven't had time to update it and I also lack questions from you the members. Also not sure what happened to Pwillard or HazHeartz with it also. Also to those who have sent in entries for the MEP..worm whatever you want to call it, we have about half the entries in so far and it's going to be a long one. I suspect it will be in about 3 or 4 parts. Here is this week's (or should I say Last week's) Top 5.

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The first Diaper was invented by many people there isn't just one inventor. But the first diaper that was water proof was invented by Marion Donovian, it was made with a plastic cover on the outside. But before that was invented, we used leaves attached by the stem, animal skin to help prevent leaks and it's softer on the babies bottom and other creative sources. In the olden days when cotton diapers were made babies would wear the same diapers for days. Diapers with safety pins were invented in the 1800's.


1940's

We know that the first official diapers were made with a piece of material "cotton". But the cotton diapers had to be changed and washed on a regular bases, and that was difficult for mothers during the 2 world war. That was when the first disposable diaper was invented. The men in the war delivered a pack of disposable diapers each week. After the war the mothers had to go to the doctor to get disposable diapers. Marion Dionovian was really interested by the invention of diapers so she tried to find other models but she didn't succeed.

1950's
Back then some people thought that dad's didn't know best, but Vic Mills thought that he knew even more. Vic Mills a grand father looked for an easier way to put diapers on his grandson the results: Pampers was born (a very successful disposable diaper company). 10 years later, packs of Pampers diapers were found in grocery stores the idea was to keep the babies bottom's dry. His product was so different that they had no idea where to put them so you could find them in the convenient section and the food section and the drug store.


1960's
Disposable diapers started to get quite popular in the 1960's for mothers and it was very easy because they didn't have to change the diaper as often because it has away of absorbing liquid. This year the Pampers diaper company came out with different sizes, large and medium. Some people didn't like them because they had attendancy to leak. A few years later they came out with a third size small so they had 3 sizes. There was an 8-10% chance the diapers would leak. And they had a machine that made 150 diaper per minute.

1970's

In this year a second very popular diaper company Huggies was invented so now there were two diaper companies Huggies (Kimberley Clark) and Pampers (Gamble). So there was a competition between the two Diaper company's. In this same the diaper machine was updated to 250 diapers per minute. They also started putting disposable diapers in less fortunate countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Chili. Some diapers are made in a bad way that causes babies to develop their bones badly. So doctors complained to the diapers companies were updated and they had to find a different model. Huggies had the first idea it was a rectangular/circle shaped diaper. In this year Pampers replaced pin diapers with sticky tabs to hold everything together. That invention occupied Pampers for a few years, and also Pampers came up with a disposable diaper that absorbed extra liquid during the day.



1980's

Pampers and Huggies put cotton material in there diapers. Now the diapers only had a 2% chance of leaks. The fist diaper in Japan was made in 1989. Also the diaper introduced the value pack and it had extra diapers because you can never have to many diapers they also had ideas like the fist skinny diaper that had absorbent gel material and an elastic leg, a sticky tab that you can reattach take it off then put it back on, with a soft layer. They figured out that there advanced program.


1990's
Diapers were made extra soft this year, and there were more sizes. And diapers that held more liquid before the leaks came. In the world the population of people that bought disposable diapers raised the percentage up to 95%. The diaper machine that made 250 in 1970 went up to 900 diapers per minute. The price of disposable raised because the advanced quality and they had packs that carried more diapers.


TODAY-2000'S
So many other diaper sizes came out and the companies Huggies an Pampers came out with preemies, newborn, ultra trim, over nights and supreme. They made a diaper that hade powder that turned into gel when water goes on it. in the United states they make over 18 Billion packs per year. what are they going to think of next? They already invented that breath, really they breath. And the diapers premium and baby dry have protecting cream that helps the babies bottom stay soft and smooth.

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the rate of heart disease
People who suffer from heart problems are constantly in danger of getting heart attacks but people who have had no prior history of heart problems may also stand the chance of getting a heart attack. With all the improvements in modern technology there are a number of ways to monitor any heart condition, such as with the use of Heart Rate Monitor Watches which are becoming the most popular personal form of heart monitoring devices on the market. And with the wide variety of Heart Rate Monitors and their many functions that are available on the internet or at your local store there is sure to be one to meet the demands of most individuals.
Heart Rate Monitor Watches are designed to be worn to measure and record your heart rate while you are exercising in a gym, running, or doing aerobics and also to give you constant information about your work level, like whether you have reached the maximum for your Targeted Zone (the maximum goal that you set for yourself). They are very useful for people who suffer with heart aliments because they are can constantly track your heart rate and alert you of any signs of any potential problems you may experience. Also when you measure the work rate of your heart, it is the best method of deciding how much benefit you are getting from your workout.
As far as accuracy with these Heart Rate Monitor Watches, they are said to be an effective way to record and track one’s heart rate during the course of the exercise. They are proven to provide complete records of your heart rate from the beginning of your workout and are said to be more accurate than the manual method. Manual pulse detection is rapidly being replaced by these Heart Rate Monitor Watches. No more stopping while exercising to check your heart rate, with the use of these new monitors it is just a matter of looking at the watch on your wrist.
These watches also offer other functions such as Accurate ECG Tests, some of which do not require the use of chest straps, which will certainly make some people happy. The heart rate monitor features also include Exercise Display, Finger sense measurement for heart rates, minimum and maximum heart rate recorded and percentage of maximum heart rate recorded. This product is already proving to be a valuable, must have item in most households.
Find more ideas and resources on health related matters at http://www.questionsonhealth.net a website offering views, opinions and factual resources on topics such as heart rate monitors, healthy eating advice and even understanding the causes of high blood pressure.

Americano the best top 10 >>> heart open surgery

Top 10 >>> heart open surgery