Valerian = my drug of choice (maybe?)

I'm on the hunt. 

In search of a new sleep aid. So, today I stopped in Dave's Health and Nutrition and was advised to try Dave' Sleep Formula. A lady who worked there told me she's had great success with this formula. "It just relaxed me," she explained.

The main ingredient in the formula Valerian (along with Straw Oat, Aerial Eyebright, Lemon Balm, and Wild Lettuce). Interesting mix and hopefully a good one.

The suggested dose is 3 capsules!! I took just one about 20 min ago, and I'm alerady feeling mellow. yippee!! I will take one more capsul in about 20 more min from now and then I'm hittin' the hay! I'll blog my results tomorrow.

Sweet Dreams (to me, hopefully)!

Taking Back Beauty

Last night my actress friend, Sarah Kent, introduced me Tara Starling. Tara considers herself a beauty architect (yeah, she's a makeup artist) who started the MILLION MANIFESTOS Project. The PERSONAL BEAUTY MANIFESTO is each woman’s opportunity to declare for herself what HER definition of TRUE BEAUTY is. Not what Society tells her, and not what the Media has taught her , but what SHE believes to be true about beauty.

As I was telling Tara about my car accident and my book, I showed her the smile on my forehead (the scar) and she said, "that's beautiful!"

It is beautiful! My scar is beautiful because it's a mark that reminds me that I've overcome a great trial which has shaped my character, and made me a more complete woman. This is true beauty.

My secret fear

(I wrote this post months ago, more like a journal entry, and never posted it. I stumbled upon it again the other day, and decided to go ahead and let any bloggers read my journal entry. Please note: since first writing this post, I've made more great strides in my capacity to feel "normal" again -- better, deeper sleep, greater endurance, and just plain-old happier. I'm not so frightened about motherhood as I was when I wrote this).

I'm pretty comfortable in my TBI skin (after 17 years). My strategies are in-tact, so my life works. I have a job. I play. I date. I travel. I exercise. I feel happy.

That being said, there is one thing that I long for, one thing missing from my almost-complete-life, and although I know this dream will come true, I'm frightened about doing it with a TBI.

The dream: motherhood

Victoria Tilney McDonough, editor at BrainLine.org recently, suggested I read the following article and it really helped me to feel better. I know that I just need to trust my abilities to manage my injury.

You can read the article here:   

I'd love comments. Especially those from other parents.

Sleep Tips (doTerra and good sleep hygiene!) from a therapist.

Steven Covey dies

I love Steven R. Covey's leadership principles. That being said, it breaks my heart that he died . . . and it tears me up that he had brain complications. Here are a few clips (from the internet) that describe what happened:

"Covey died at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on July 16, 2012, due to complications from a bicycle accident he suffered the previous April. He was hospitalized after being knocked unconscious in the bike crash on a steep road in the foothills of Provo, Utah, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City."

"At the time of his bicycle accident, his publicist, Debra Lund, said doctors had not found any signs of long-term damage to his head."

"He just lost control on his bike and crashed," Lund said. "He was wearing a helmet, which is good news."
Catherine Sagers, Covey's daughter, told The Salt Lake Tribune in April that her father had suffered some bleeding on his brain after the accident."

Vitamin D Makes Me SOOO Happy (literally and figuratively)

EVERYONE: please read the following article about the benefits of Vitamin D: Better Nutrition Magazine :: Supplements, Nutrition, Recipes, Personal Care :: Columns :: Healthy Solutions

Prescription Vitamin D Supplements have changed my life for the better. I sleep better and I feel brighter. I think (I've heard) that most people are low, due to the fact that we work inside all day and rarely spend a lot of time in the sun.

Eating Vitamin D rich foods can help a little (you need supplements to really feel different)

D-Rich Foods:
From Highest to Lowest Amounts

• Wild Salmon (Farmed salmon has been show to contain lower levels of vitamin D than wild salmon.)
• Sardines
• Goat's Milk
• Cow's Milk
• Shiitake Mushrooms
• Eggs

Mark your calendar for this spectacular Art Show!

"NeuroEXPRESSIONS" is an annual art show/ auction featuring artwork made by brain injury survivors and their family members. All proceeds benefit brain injury advocacy and prevention.

Location: Utah Association for Justice
Law & Justice Center
645 South 200 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
When: April 13, 2012
Time: 2-7 pm
Admission: Free