Brain Dump

What’s going on. In random bulletpoints. Of absolutely no order of significance.

• We’re back from Florida. All in all, it was a good trip. Jaidin was so excited about her first plane ride, and this is the first trip to the ocean that she’ll remember (We went to Destin when she was 15 months). It rained the first two and a half days we were there, was beautiful the next two and a half, and was a rainy the last day. We squeezed in as much pool and beach time as we could and did indoor stuff the rest of the time. I’ll post the pictures soon.
• I read an entire book while we were in Florida, and boy, was it a good one! There’d been some buzz by some friends of friends about The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, so picked up a copy before we left for Florida. I have so many thoughts on this book but couldn’t even begin to put them to words right now. But I will be posting more, because this book has seriously messed me up and challenged me in a good way. So for now all I have to say is, if you consider yourself a follower of Christ…not a liberal, not a conservative, not a Protestant, Catholic, Charismatic or whatever…but someone who wants to seek a better way of doing life…this book is for you. Check it out.
• I just finished watching Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. I had to tape the finale while we were on vacation, but they just re-ran it right before they aired the reunion show, so I watched both. Not exactly quality viewing, but my goodness, what a guilty pleasure. What a train wreck of a reality tv show. Love it! And I’m SO HAPPY he chose Jess.
• Learning Hebrew has proved to be quite the challenge, but I am undeterred. I seriously spent one whole day at the pool with my Hebrew for Dummies book, and I really only conquered a few words and one simple sentence. It’s really hard when you don’t have a native speaker to “practice” with. I’m going to take lessons at a local Jewish college, but they only offer the course a few times a year, and unfortunately, right now doesn’t coincide with either of those times of year. So for now it’s me, my book and the ‘net. Maybe I should get some of the Rosetta Stone software. Anybody know if it’s effective???
• Bath and Body Works new scent Pumpkin Pie Paradise = A little slice of heaven. Can you say YUMMY? I bought the lotion, the bodywash/shampoo AND the home fragrance oil.
  
• I read an article lately about a new online dating site that caters to people with chronic health related issues. Prescription4Love.com I suppose I understand the appeal (being upfront about health related issues prevents the “big reveal” that those of us with chronic illness deal with in relationships), but as someone who has a chronic illness (Crohn’s disease) and some extra baggage…literally (ileostomy), I never felt the need to limit myself to having relationships with only other ostomates, IBD’ers or people with another health “issues”. More thoughts on this later…
• Cleveland sports suck. The Brown’…augh! The Indians are doing well (except for NOT sweeping the Yankees tonight). But I promise you, even if they make it all the way, I will NOT jump on the bandwagon. I’m too jaded. And another thing…I DON’T CARE IF LEBRON JAMES IS A YANKEES FAN!! OR THAT HE WORE A YANKEES HAT TO THE INDIANS GAME! He gets paid to win basketball games for Cleveland, which he does. Who he roots for in baseball is none of my concern. I can’t believe, with all that’s going on in the world, this is considered news-worthy. *rolling my eyes*

That’s all for now. Stay tuned…

This past week…

has been crazy. Packing, moving,back to work full time,and…My baby started her second year of preschool today! I cannot believe she is 4 (going on 14) and will be in kindergarten next year. She waltzed into Mrs. Zinni’s classroom this morning like she owned the place!

In other news…

Jungle Terry came to Amber’s a week or so ago on a Friday night ( I truly have THE BEST babysitter EVER!)

Jaidin loves horses. While picking up the keys for the new place from Ty ( friend from church) Jaidin got to ride Nugget, a miniature pony and she was in heaven. She is now in negotiations with Ty for riding lessons. Oh boy!

Rob and Adrienne are getting married soon! As bridesmaid and flower girl, Jaidin and I did our duty and attended their shower last week. They got lots of good loot…and I got to catch up with some mutual childhood friends ( Hi Lizz and Kate!)

For those of you who are asking…I promise to post more abut my experiences at the IOA World Congress in Puerto Rico, and the UOAA National Conference in Chicago. I’m still settling in after moving, and trying to work out some kinks with a possible job switch. But details will follow soon, I promise.

Whirlwind

Originally posted 8/20/07

I FINALLY arrived home last evening at about 10:30. Weather delayed me in Chicago for about 4 hours. I hate the airport. Rotund, obnoxious men next to me snoring. Crabby children CLEARLY in need of diaper changes sitting accross from me. Getting up to use the bathroom, only to find your seat has been taken by one of the thousand other passengers that are also stranded in the Windy (and cold and rainy) City.
I am exhausted. Don’t get me wrong…I have had an absolutely AMAZING two weeks. Both the IOA in Puerto Rico and the UOAA Conference in Chicago changed my life in profound ways…and hopefully in the nexy day or so I will find time to elaborate and share pictures. For now though, I need to unpack, do LOTS of laundry and get some more sleep.To all my IOA and UOAA friends, I miss you all terribly. There is something magical and comforting about the bond we all share. I can’t explain it, but I know you all feel it too. Much love to you all

Hello from the Rockies

I’ve been here in Boulder since Thursday for the 2007 Youth Rally. Having a fantastic time!Super busy, super tired, super blessed… I am surrounded by an amazing group of counselors and kids.

That’s it for now…I’m off to bed. Here’s a link to the Rally photos taken daily by our dedicated photographer. They’re updated each morning with the previous day’s pictures.

Feel free to check out the albums and get a taste of Rally life. I’ll blog more about my time here and post my own pics once I get home Wednesday evening and have had more than 4 consecutive hours of sleep!

Photos are here: www.shutterfly.com/pro/dougsphotostop/rally2007

Keep Peddling: Reflections on GYGIG

I did it…I survived 3 days in the wilderness of upstate NY.
(Ok..maybe it wasn’t really wilderness, but it came close enough for this city girl.)
For all you doubters out there…I went 3 days without “doing” my hair (thank goodness for pigtails), and I broke not a single nail. So And guess what…

I actually enjoyed it. Maybe not the camping part so much ( although I’ll definitely do it again), but the GYGIG ride was an amazing experience. Over 150 riders and crew…each with a unique story about how Crohn’s and Colitis has affected their life, each riding or crewing for a different personal reason, but committed to the ‘corporate’ mission of the ride.

As I watched the riders and crew each day, I was reminded of my own “journey” with IBD, and it can be likened to a bike ride. In the beginning, I was extremely focused on the end…when, where, how will it be over?

But over the years I’ve learned to not focus so much on the destination, but to appreciate the “ride” and the progress I have made. There have been hills; hospitalizations, ostomy surgery, lack of insurance, emergencies, “accidents”. “Hills” that at the time seemed insurmountable, but somehow I made it to the top. There have also been descents and valleys; depression, self destructive behavior, wondering what the future held. Determination and perseverance allowed me to keep peddling and eventually reach flat, even ground; acceptance. And all along the way, there have been rest stops and cheering stations; a WOC nurse who not only encouraged me but inspired me, my involvement with Youth Rally, working for CCFA, being elected to office with UOAA, and all of the other amazing opportunities I’ve been afforded because of my journey with IBD. But most importantly, there was the crew; the people that I met along the way who cheered me on, picked me up when I couldn’t go any further and “swept me along”, those who fixed the broken parts, those that showed me how to “ride” when I was a new cyclist in the IBD journey, those who “rode” before me and marked my way, and those who believed in my ablity to finish the course, even when I doubted.

My ride is far from over. Each day I get up, I set out along the path. Some days I am the rider…climbing hills, careening down the other side, pulling out of the valleys, and picking up speed on the stretches of even gound. And some days I’m the crew…helping a new “rider” get their bearings, sharing my story and encouraging them to “keep peddling”.
Truth be told, I’m not positive of my destination. But I’ve learned that it doesn’t so much matter- I’m on an incredibly scenic journey and I’m going to keep peddling to wherever it leads.

Here’s a quick recap of the weekend events:
Arrived in NYC on Thursday afternoon. Hooked up with Julielyn and Paul and did “touristy” things like Times Square, met Spiderman, and we visited the World Trade Center site. Checked in for the ride, attended ride meetings, then headed out on the town and met up with a sorority sister I hadn’t seen in about 12 years ( Hi, Laurie!). Then back to the hotel and bed because I had to be up at the butt crack of dawn.
Got the the starting Pier in Tribeca at 5am Friday. Made coffee, set up breakfast, helped unload gear truck and set up bike racks, etc. Opening ceremonies, riders departed. Tore down above mentioned items, helped reload gear truck, then headed upstate to camp 1. Arrive at camp, help clean dining hall (nasty) and bathroom/showers (nastier). Help unload gear truck (again), set up tents with the guidance of the Tent Fairy, got text from friend Julielyn (rider) who was in ER getting breathing treatment next to the rider (Yoni) who got hit by a deer!, passed out towels, took a much needed shower, ate dinner, attended crew meeting, chased tumbleweeding tents across the field (it was a bit windy) , got in my tent and collapsed in exhaustion. Awoke at 1am to the sound of rain. Had to pee (of course!), so walked to bathroom with flashlight in rain with one contact suctioned to my eyeball and other eye barely functional (fun times). Back to tent, wonder if I should pack up my stuff so it doesn’t get wet…should I get out rain gear in case it starts storming and I must make a run for the pavillion. Decide I am too tired to care, try to go back to sleep. Hear scary noises coming from surrounding woods and have ridiculous thoughts of Camp Crystal Lake and the Blair Witch Project.
Get up at 5 in the morning, make Gatorade and icewater for riders, pack up my stuff, help take down tents, clean up, tear down bike racks, load gear truck (again), then head to breakfast at the Elk’s club. Eat, then head upstate to Earllton. Arrive at camp 2. Unload gear truck (again!), set up canopies, tents, bike racks, snacks, Gatorade, water, yada yada. Rest a bit (nice weather this day) and check out campsite. See lots of double wides and garden gnomes.
Riders start arriving, direct them to tents, hand out towels. Eat dinner, listen to Solid Gold ( 4 men, 50+ yrs old, singing 50 Cent…classic..), hang out with riders and crew, talk, collapse in tent exhausted.
Awake at 5am, shower, eat breakfast, tear down camp, load gear truck (yet again), head upstate to Saratoga Springs and Skidmore College. Set up rider holding area, unload gear truck (for the LAST time!), await riders. Riders finish ride, I get teary-eyed several times, take lots of photos. Then closing ceremonies. I address crowd on behalf of UOAA, get teary-eyed again. Barbeque dinner, then goodbyes.
Through out all of this, the reflections from above were flowing through my mind. I just gave you the nuts and bolts of all that happended. But like the T-shirts say …

“It’s so much more than a ride”…

Chi-Town, Mom and Me, and Memorial Day

I’ve been wanting to post these pictures for a week now…but time keeps slipping by. So here’s a quick lowdown and I’ll let the pics speak for themselves.I survived my trip to Chicago. We had a good conference planning/board meeting and I feel like I have a much better handle on the “big picture” regarding the conference. I’m very detail oriented and sometimes get caught up in the little stuff and overwhelm myself. But I’m very blessed to working with an awesome group of people who are faithful to follow through on responsibilities. And they’re so kind to keep encouraging me in my new responsibilities. And…I’m very lucky to have a family and friends who are supportive of my traveling all over the map, helping us with Jaidin, etc. And…I’m very blessed to have a husband who sends me flowers while I’m out of town

The Monday after I got home from Chicago, I got to spend the evening with Jaidin at FunTime, an indoor “inflatables” funpark. The women’s ministries at our church meets once month and this month was Mom and Me night out. Jaidin had a great time, and I enjoyed spending the evening with her since I had been gone for 4 days.

Memorial Day weekend was hectic but fun. Our friends Mitch and Heather were in town visiting and we got to spend some time with them.They used to be part of RedHeart with us and Mitch played in Jon’s band, but they moved home to Lancaster, PA about 2 years ago. So good to see them…and find out they’re expecting a baby!
We also got to go to Miss Kelly’s birthday party. Miss Kelly is one of Jaidin’s preeschool teachers, and also the sister of my brother’s fiance. Fun times hanging out with all the RedHeart and church crew.
We had a fun time with family too. Sunday afternoon we spent time at Jon’s parent’s house. They were still in Maui, but Jon’s aunt Vicki was in town to stay with his grandma while mom and dad were gone. I’m so glad I finally got to meet Vicki. Then we headed to my grandparents house. My mom’s stepsister MaryLue was in town, so we went to visit with her. And we had fun teaching Jaidin to play Cornhole…the hokiest midwestern yard game ever!

We spent Memorial Day at Steve and Lindsey’s. Family cookout, t-ball, football, S’mores…what else do you need on a holiday?

Support Me as I Get My Guts in Gear

Get Your Guts in Gear is a non-profit, 501c3 charity that raises funds and awareness for organizations that support people with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and ostomies. Their website is www.ibdride.org. June 8-10, 2007, I will be crewing the Get Your Guts in Gear bike ride in New York State.

Many of you know of my challenges over the years living with Crohn’s disease and a permanent ostomy. Please view my ride website to see why I’ve decided to crew this ride, and please consider supporting me financially. My goal is to raise $3000 to support the amazing organizations that benefit from this ride.

Thanks in advance for your support!

My ride website: www.ibdride.org/kknipp

The Big Easy

This past Sunday I headed off to New Orleans to do a site visit for a conference I am planning for 2009.
After an uneventful pair of flights (Cleveland to Charlotte, Charlotte to New Orleans) I met Ken (UOAA’s current president and my “boss”) at the airport and we cabbed it to downtown. The Sheraton is located right in the downtown area almost between the French Quarter and the Garden District. We checked in and were informed that we had been upgraded to Executive Suites. Pretty cool! However…of course they upgraded us…the rooms were comped to begin with, and they want us to throw a $50,000 conference their way. Duh! The room was great, but really, if they wanted to wow me, they should have put me in the Presidential suite with the whirlpool tub. ( I am just kidding…I’m NOT a hotel snob. I was quite appreciative of my free executive suite )
We dropped our stuff off in our rooms and then headed out to find some dinner. We ended up at this place called The Gumbo Shop. YUM! is all I have to say about that. I had a traditional Creole meal – Chicken Andouille gumbo, Chicken Espagnole with rice and garlic potatoes, and bread pudding with whiskey sauce. And of course I topped it off with an authentic New Orleans praline that I purchased on the walk home! (I bought a whole box and have been eating them since I got home. I believe I’ve found the newest form of crack! )
Back in the room, I enjoyed the view from my floor to ceiling window, chatted on the phone, answered email and proceeded to pass out. I do believe it was a Creole-induced coma
Monday morning we met with the hotel sales manager to talk business, view all the meeting space, etc. The hotel is beautiful, spacious, and has a full-service Starbucks in the lobby, which gets them my vote!
After our meeting, we consulted with the concierge about things for us to do in the area. I REALLY wanted to take a ghost and cemetary tour of the city, where they show you all the “haunted” spots, and tell stories like that of Marie Laveau ( famous voodoo priestess). But alas, we found out the tour was a 2.5 hour WALKING tour, and since yours truly only brought strappy platform sandals and high heels, we decided against the walking tour.
We did end up on a Super City bus tour that took us everywhere! We started out in downtown and toured all the neighborhoods. We even saw some of the areas decimated by Katrina. We went north to lake Ponchatrain and then came back down via the Garden District, past Tulane and Loyola. Beautiful architecture, magnolia blossoms, and Mardi Gras beads were everywhere ( St. Charles in along the parade route). The tour driver was so knowledgeable about the city, giving us history of Creoles, Cajuns, the cities wealthiest occupants, as well as famous people that have inhabited the city through the years. He talked alot about Katrina and pointed out various landmarks and places of interest along the way. I think the best part was his snippet about the cemetaries and how the plots and tombs are utilized. The tour was a 2 hour history lesson and I enjoyed every second of it!
After the tour we walked over to the famous Cafe Du Monde and had beignets and cafe au lait. WONDERFUL! We sat on their outside patio, talked about love, life and UOAA business and listened to great street musicians play and sing. It was a laid back, relaxing afternoon…and really gave me a nice opportunity to get to know Ken better.
That evening we headed down Bourbon street in search of dinner. After passing Huge A$$ Beers to Go and Big Daddy’s Topless and Bottomless, we decided that we’ll not need to plan any programming for ’09. I mean really…what else do you need for a successful conference? ( I am totally kidding, of course) We ended up in this place called Yo Mama’s for dinner. Yes, it was as hole in the wall as it sounds, but had a really cool vibe…and surprisingly enough, great food!
When we got back to the hotel, I was really tempted to go back out on my own and explore, but I knew Jon ( not to mention my mother and grandmother) would freak out if they knew I ventured out into a strange city by myself…afterdark! Oh the horrors! So I went downstairs and hung out in the lobby and at Starbucks by myself for a while. I chatted with a few nice folks in town for a disaster recovery conference, but mostly I people-watched, one of my favorite things to do. I love watching people interact, imagining the stories behind their lives, wondering about their dreams, etc. I went back upstairs at about 11pm, packed up most of my stuff and went to bed.
Tuesday morning we met with another hotel rep, had breakfast and headed to the airport. It took me all day to get home, thanks to a two hour layover in Charlotte. Jon and Jaidin picked me up at the airport and suprised me with a huge bouquet of brightly colored daisies! I love walking out of baggage claim to find two smiling faces and pretty flowers to greet me!I had a fantastic time in the Big Easy, and I think it’s pretty probable that we’ll be having a conference there in 2009. Now all I have to do is convince Ken that our next site visit should be sometime in mid-February next year. Can you say “Mardi Gras”?

My Famous Stoma: A wrap up

I ‘m home!
My flight from Newark FINALLY left at about 11:00pm last night. I got into Cleveland at about 12:15am, and got gas in the car. ( Thank you long-term parking lot shuttle driver for directing me to a 24 hour gas station right off the highway, where I did not get mugged!) I got home at about 1:30am. Jon was waiting up for me, with hot tea in hand ( thanks!). I got some much needed sleep, and have been working all day on all the stuff I “planned” on doing while away .
I’m glad I got a flight out last night! After watching the weather reports for the northeast, it looks like I would still be sitting in Philly right now if I had waited to fly out this morning. Continental cancelled almost all their flights in and out of that area!Below are some more pics from yesterday’s shoot. Sorry…no shots of my stoma…a girls gotta leave something to the imagination . The shoot went pretty fast once we got going, and I only had to apply and remove the pouching system twice before we got all the shots we needed. YEAH! Don’t know who to credit…the fabulous director…or my amazing acting abilities. Although… I can hardly call it acting, since technically I was performing a task I’ve done every few days for the last 16 years. I could have done it with my eyes closed!

All in all, I had a fantastic experience doing this shoot. I met some more wonderful people, did a little networking, and hope that in some small way, my participation makes a diference in the life of another ostomate someday.

 SEE THE PICS HERE!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I know I promised more pics from the shoot tonight, but we wrapped early. So…I am out of here…I was able to get a 8:30 flight out of Newark. Word has it that the weather is supposed to turn nasty tonight, and I was concerned about getting out of Philly tomorrow morning. The lovely people at ConvaTec took good care of me, and I am out of here in about an hour!
I’ll post more about the shoot tomorrow, along with some more pics. Now, it’s packing time…cuz I’m leaving on a jet plane………

7:55pm-
Looks like I’m not leaving on a jet plane anytime soon! I made it to the airport, only to find that my flight has been delayed for an hour. Seems I’ll be sitting here for 2 hours. So I just payed $7.95 for internet access so I can try and be productive. I’ve returned a few phone calls and have grand plans of getting work email answered, and UOAA emails returned, so I can actually rest tomorrow, since I have the day off. In reality, I will probably not get anything done before my battery dies. ( I had grandiose plans of getting work done while out of town…free evenings always seem prime for working…how come I always end up with “better” things to do? LOL)
If all goes well ( that’s IF!), I will get into Cleveland around 11:30pm. I’m dead tired, and of course, the van has NO gas in it, because I was in a hurry to get to the airport Tuesday afternoon on my way out, so I didn’t stop, thinking that I’d get it on the way home on Friday morning. Well, now I’m coming home tonight, and will have to stop and find an all night gas station in the middle of the ghetto around the airport. That’ll teach me to plan ahead! Pray I don’t get mugged!

Today’s shoot went fantastic. It took a while for things to get rolling this morning. Set up is tedious. You wouldn’t believe the lights, cameras, and other “equipment” that has to be set up even before one shot is taken. Then it has to be changed before you can shoot another scene. If you’re the “talent”, as they kept refering to me ( HA!), the name of the game is sit and wait. Hair = DONE…MAKEUP=DONE…now sit and wait until they’re ready for you.
Oh well…the pay is good, and the company was fun, so it was all good. Once we got rolling though, things went fast. It helped that I had worked with the director before. I’m anxious to see the finished product. I didn’t get to see much of the playback from today, but everyone said the film looked great, so I feel pretty good about it.
Ok…I’m going to work. I’ll update tomorrow with pics from today and a few funny stories.

Wish me luck…I’d REALLY like to be home before midnight!

Me and My Famous STOMA

Greetings from New Jersey! I’m here in Princeton shooting a product application for Convatec, one of the major ostomy supply manufacturers. I did a similar project for them about a year and a half ago, and they must have liked my work, because they invited me back!
They have a new product launching ( shhhh…I can’t tell you what it is just yet…), and I get to be the model in the video that shows how to apply the product. So…me and my soon to be famous stoma are here until Friday. Today was mostly just shooting scenes with Gwen, the WOCN that narrates the video, and towards the end of the day we did shoot a few scenes of me walking into the bathroom with my “pile of product” and did my voice over for the video intro. LOL
Apparently tomorrow is “CHANGE MY POUCH 50 MILLION TIMES AND TRY TO GET IT ALL ON CAMERA DAY”
Below are some pics from today. I’ll post more tomorrow night.

I spent today reflecting alot. 16 years ago, when I got my ostomy, I would have NEVER in a MILLION years guessed that one day I’d be perfectly comfortable showing my stoma, in all it’s glory, in a video that will be used nationwide. I’d have never imagined that having ostomy surgery could ever lead to one good thing, let alone all the amazing opportunities I’ve had and the wonderful people I’ve met as a result of it. I’m so thankful that I’ve learned to embrace my ostomy as a blessing ( yes, it was a process), and I’m hopeful that by being open about my experiences and making myself vulnerable, that I’m somehow making the road easier and brighter for those just starting their journey. I doubt I’ll ever be famous for making “stoma” videos. But I hope that one day, when I’m long gone, I’ll be a fond memory for someone who encountered me and learned that an ostomy is not a curse, but an opportunity for a wonderful new life.

See the pics here!