30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Days 20 & 21

Day 21 of #30DaysofThankfulness - today I am thankful for water! PLAIN OLE H2O! There is nothing better when you are thirsty as hell to quench a thirst! My throat was so damn dry earlier that I almost choked! Took that bottle STRAIGHT TO THE HEAD ... ya heard me?!?! Water ... Blessings!!

Day 20 of #30DaysofThankfulness - I was thankful for my Monday evening #linedanceaerobics class! They keep me going. I have been doing this for a full year now and I know as the year ends and the holidays roll in fitness participation will drop. Life is happening all around us but I always remain thankful and give 100% (if not more) to the few that make an effort to attend. I'm so appreciative of those ladies. #IWillWorkout #WeWILLWorkout #linedanceaerobics #FitnessandFun

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 19

Day 19 of #30daysofThankfulness - Yesterday I was thankful for change. So often we follow what we're taught as a child through the time we left the nest. We also maintain traditions that can often lead us to and leave us in bad places without even thinking how much happier we'd be if we let them go. We don't have to keep those ways of life just because our parents and/or grandparents partook of them. We can think for ourselves and do what works for us in our lives now not what may or may not have worked for others. #ChangeisGood

Speaking of tradition, please look after your loved ones as the holidays approach, especially those "STRONG" ones!! Holidays are known to cause deeper depressive states in those suffering from depression and depression in some who don't. Remember just because something is tradition doesn't make it right. You're not obligated to celebrate ANYTHING!! #WordsofWisdom

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 18

Day 18 of #30DaysofThankfulness - Today I am thankful for #SoDelicious and their many non-dairy products! As a new vegan it has been hard finding desserts that fit in to the categories of what I can eat besides my vegan friend Monica's homemade vegan pies. Today, I had vegan ice cream!

It was made with coconut milk and reminded me of an almond joy or mounds! I picked up some yogurt as well, can't wait to try that next! I enjoy coconut and I am truly loving the #VeganLifestyle!

30 Days of Thankfulness -Days 13 through 16

Day 16 of #30daysofThankfulness - today I'm thankful for #buschronicles! Being a public transit user I see and hear a LOT of things. Sometimes I wish I could take pictures or record video but then I think about how rude that is so I just share it through my descriptive creativity. I am good at that! As my fellow riders entertain me I am able to share the shenanigans and entertain you all ... so y'all should be thankful for them too!! LOL

Day 15 of #30daysofThankfulness - I was thankful for the relationships I have with the mother's of my grandchildren, Ashlee and Misty. Ash and I have always had a great relationship from day one and my oldest grand will be 8 years old December 4th. Misty and I, the mother of the M&M grands, had one helluva rocky relationship for years but ALL praises to the Most High for change! I think that's why the last granddaughter looks just like me. Thank you ladies for being the best mothers you can be to my baby girls!

DEM VANN GIRLS, MY VANN CLAN

Day 14 of #30DaysofThankfulness - I was thankful for STRENGTH! I think of how far I have come, all that I have gone through, all that I continue to go through and wonder how I made it through. The strength of a woman is something special!

Day 13 of #30daysofThankfulness - I was thankful for TRUTH! No matter how much it hurts sometimes truth is all you have and it's the ONLY way.

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Days 10 to 12

Day 12 of #30daysofThankfulness - today I am thankful for aging gracefully, with youthfulness! I had Nana's girl this weekend and LORD knows keeping up with her takes all of my ENERGY!! #hopscotch #parkplay #NanasGirl #DemVannGirls #DayshaMichelle #LovemyGrands

NANAS GIRL AND I HEADED TO THE PARK

Day 11 of #30DaysofThankfulness - I was thankful for grandparenthood! There's nothing like these three #DEMVANNGIRLS to me!!

#DAYSHAMICHELLE #MIJAELCHAYLEA #MIKAELACHANIYA #LOVEMYGRANDS

Day 10 of #30daysofThankfulness - I was thankful for the art of and my love for dance as a form of stress relief and happiness. In just a moment, whatever is ailing me, line dance takes the stress away!! Here's an oldie but goodie from my days with the Pepper Steppers. Enjoy!!

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 9

November 9, Day 9 of #30DaysofThankfulness - today I'm thankful for alone time, plain and simple. It is needed every now and again to clear the mind. No phone calls, minimal text & social media engagement, just simply a little time with oneself. I think I need a week of it.

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 8

November 8, Day 8 of #30daysofThankfulness - I am thankful for the love of and fellowship I have with my line dance family. Although I am no longer a member of any particular group, my previous line dance family always embraces me no matter how long I have been away. It is always like I never left.

Why don't doctors support veganism?

I had a doctors appointment a few weeks ago. It was a follow-up visit to my physical a few weeks before. It was an overall great visit. She praised my weight loss, down 30+ lbs since last years physical. She was excited to see that my "bad" cholesterol level, that was extremely elevated from the 2016 physical, had dropped SEVERAL points and back within normal range. She had pretty much given me a clean bill of health UNTIL I said advised her that my successes are ALL due to the VEGAN LIFE!

You'd have thought I had said I lost the weight doing crack by the look on her face!! As soon as I mentioned vegan she began asking about my protein intake. I told her I thought I was getting enough but sometimes I am a little fatigued. She then says "I need you to eat fish for the amino acids that plants can't give. At least twice a month. I'd prefer 1-2 times weekly". So I then ask her if there is a natural supplement for amino acids as I did not and had not planned on eating any fish. She tells me "not that I know of".

Clearly she could NOT be serious!! So I call on my vegan guru, the one who inspired me to try the vegan life, my friend Monica Monet! She advised she takes one and gave me the info. I then looked up my own supplements and found a vegan amino acid on Amazon. I am a PRIME member so this was right up my alley. The capsules were plantcaps which is what I was told to look for. I'll keep you posted on how it works for me and if I feel any different.

Her response truly made me think. Medical professionals are not trained to cure but to treat. This keeps big pharma rolling in the big bucks and them as well. No she didn't recommend my taking medicines but the thought of eating animals made me feel like it would only be a matter of time. I will begin looking into physicians with knowledge of plant based diets who know and understand how to properly treat us vegans without recommending eating animals of any kind. I am still stunned by her response. Veganism may have saved my life! I see changes in other health issues since going this route and I don't see me leaving this lifestyle ANY TIME SOON!

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 7

In May 2017, my path crossed with a conscious King and since that day our souls have been linked. We were immediately drawn to one another. We are 6 months in and in this time I've seen a great changes. I have become more in tune with my spiritual self. I've learned things about our culture, our people, our history that I never knew. He's always pushing me to learn more. We're both learning Swahili and most importantly he supports me. He learns line dances, reads my blogs & pushes me to write more, gets on me about my school work and even partakes of the vegan life. When your mate enters your life, if he/she doesn't bring value and promote areas of growth, what's the point? Today, my King, I am thankful for you!

Day 7 of #30DaysofThankfulness - today I'm thankful for my King ...

<b>🎶 If he ever left me I wouldn't even be sad, no 'Cause there's a blessing in every lesson and I'm glad that I know him at all 'Cause he is THE TRUTH 🎶</b>

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 6

I've been line dancing for a few years now. It actually is the best form of cardio for me, works perfectly into my schedule because I dance around the house ALL the time! It had gotten so bad all I did was post about it and dance. I did it so much that I was eventually approached about teaching a class. My line dance family will tell you, I was NEVER one to teach but I am a fast learner and love to dance. That was it for me. Let someone else deal with the frustrations of teaching. The proposition did not go away though and I fought it for awhile, tooth and nail. Why you ask? To be honest, I didn't feel I had what it took to be an instructor, only a learner and a dance. Well look at me now (Chris Brown voice)!!

November 6, Day 6 of #30DaysofThankfulness - today I'm thankful for the #JusticeLeagueofFitness and their belief in my ability to help others get in shape through fitness and fun EVERY Monday! Thank you Leroy!!

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 5

A little over a year ago I received a phone. I was TOLD to purchase a firearm, no explanation as to way or anything. I was mentally devastated, a complete basket case and unsure what direction to go. This is one time when I can truly say social media came to the rescue. I made a post asking for someone with firearm knowledge to assist me in shopping and learning to use a firearm. I'm thankful for my Bruh Bruh Tim and my cousin Daniele for immediately stepping up and coming to my rescue. I have to admit, it's been #pewnpewn (the speed of a bullet) ever since.

November 5, Day 5 of #30daysofThankfulness - today I'm thankful for the ability to properly & safely use a firearm and for the people around me who assist in my continuous training and keeping me sharp on the firearm tip. I am not training to be a marksmen or sniper but to remain unafraid to use a firearm if and when the time comes to use one.

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 4

When Day 4 rolled around, the Day 3 woes were still upon me. Even though things were talked about and reconciled I still couldn't shake it, something was nagging at me. I couldn't put my finger on it BUT I knew what I had to do. This was Day 4 of my 40 days of meditation so I would simply take it to the universe and let it go

We were instructed to find a mantra that works for us and after reading a few of the mantras provided I was attracted to the mantra for the Solar Plexus chakra also known as Manipura. This is the chakra primarily associated with self-esteem, confidence and willpower. When balanced Manipura chakra allows you to have control over your thoughts and emotional responses, set healthy boundaries, and be at peace with yourself.

How would you know if your Solar Plexus is imbalanced? You will notice an excess of energy or an energy deficiency as well as but not limited to overeating and overindulgence, fatigue or excessive laziness, insecurities, anxiety and fear, lack of confidence and poor self-image and/or an inability to focus and lack of organization just to name a few. Its physical association is with digestive function: stomach ulcers, indigestion, diabetes, eating disorders and other illnesses tied to the digestive system. These could be symptoms of an unbalanced solar plexus chakra. I saw myself all over the list so I needed to fix that.

November 4, Day 4 of #30DaysofThankfulness - I am thankful for meditation. The peace, calm, and serenity that falls upon me as I inhale & exhale slowly, rhythmically allowing the pains of the day and more to wash away. If you've never meditated I implore you to do so. Find THAT place and let it take you there.

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 3

Day 3 was a very hectic and distracted day, so much in fact I neglected to post on the actual day. That morning started off with what felt like the end of my current relationship and things just went downhill from there. November 1 I had begun the 40 days of meditation on top of the 30 days of thankfulness. I am thankful for the meditation. The peace I felt afterward would prove to be so effective in quieting the mental monsters and allowing me to sleep.

I had plans with a good friend that evening, after telling her about the morning events she was willing to cancel the plans if needed but OH NO ... I NEEDED to get out! We ended up having a really good time. We did not do anything we planned to do but instead with just went with the flow. That ended up being just what I needed. The night ended with a session of hopscotch and monkey bars. There's video somewhere! (deep laugh) The Most High knew what I needed and sent the right people my way to make it happen.

November 3, Day 3 of #30daysofThankfulness - I was VERY thankful for true friends! Those you can talk to and depend on. When the burdens of life get heavy and bring you down these types of friends pull you right back up. (sings) That's what friends are for!!!

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 2

This day was a bit melancholy. December 2016 I was told my most recent mammogram showed abnormalities that required an immediate follow-up. I received call after call from my doctors office as well as the diagnostic facility. I dodged them all for 2 months straight. Now, here it is, over a year later and THAT follow-up has been scheduled. Why so long you say?

I lost my FAVORITE lady, my grandmother, to breast cancer 6/10/1988 ... the day I graduated from high school. I did not want to go through what I saw of her end days. So with it being an entire year later, could the issue now be worse? Possibly. Could my almost a year in vegan lifestyle have changed some things? ABSOLUTELY and now it was time to find out.

I'm not looking for pity, sympathy or prayers (you don't want everybody praying for you when you don't know their prayer life and if they even have one) but I wrote this to encourage EVERY female to take care of their breast. Self-Check monthly and follow up as instructed to prevent any worsening. I knew this could go in either direction BUT trust me when I say there would be NO CHEMO PUT IN THIS BODY! NONE! ZILCH! NADA! I OVERstood that no matter the outcome the Most High would be with me.

November 2, day 2 of #30daysofThankfulness - I was ever so thankful for the AWESOME mammogram followed by an ultrasound reports received. The exam showed 2 nodules - one was present on the 1st mammogram so that means a new one has developed BUT there's been NO growth in the 1st which is AWESOME! At this point they only want to monitor them so I have to follow- up in 6 months. I KNOW it is a result of my vegan/healthy lifestyle change, positive thinking/energy AND prayer!

30 Days of Thankfulness 2017 - Day 1

I am late starting this blog series for 2017. I have not done it in a few years BUT here I am! A very good friend, LaTrice, tagged me for the #30daysofThankfulness challenge. I am here for that! She posted a video on Instagram and Facebook of her speaking on the challenge so there may be video a time of my daily thanks but for the first few days it will be just text.

November 1, Day 1 of 30 - I am thankful for life. The air I breathe, the ability to speak, walk, talk and see. The things a lot of us take for granted. We have but one life ... live it, enjoy it.