Magic Johnson and HIV

A few weeks ago I watched "The Announcement" about Magic Johnson sharing with the world his HIV+ status in 1991. It was really good; I recommend watching it if you are able to.  It got me doing some thinking...

That was 21 years ago; in just 21 years look how things have changed! And in that same amount of time, which is 2/3 of my lifetime, look at how little has changed. 

The reactions to his announcement by the media was kinda crazy to see.  They expected him to just shrivel up and die.  HIV is no longer a death sentence and it doesn't even mean that a person is guaranteed to get AIDS.  A good many people that are HIV+ live long and healthy lives and never actually develop AIDS!  This is an amazing fact! 

The amount of research and advancements in medications have been astounding considering the relatively short length of time that this virus has been around. Cases like my sister's are helping to prove that early treatment can truly make a difference. HIV+ women can even get pregnant and have babies without passing on the virus to their child with the right medications! 

People were so scared about contact with Magic Johnson back then and to some extent we continue to  see that today.  The stigma is still there, unfortunately.  You cannot "catch" HIV like a cold. It is not spread through snot, saliva, urine, or sweat. Normal interactions in a home, work or school environment are not risky. So many people just lack proper education, even after 21 years!  With such a technological society and with a vast amount of knowledge at our fingertips, you would think there would be no room left for ignorance. And yet, ignorance about HIV abounds...

As someone who is becoming very educated on this subject (since my sister has it), it's kinda funny the things I get bothered by.  One major thing that bothers me (that is just ignorance) is how some people use the terms HIV and AIDS interchangeably.

Another issue I have is that people are not being tested. There are many reasons I'm sure, some valid, some not. I think the majority of people just are in denial that it could happen to them and think they have no need to go get tested. Some people are just scared. Some just don't care.  There is free, anonymous and confidential testing available all over the USA...go get tested if you haven't before or haven't recently! 

It's interesting to me to think about how much I have changed in the midst of my sister's diagnosis. My sister posted a poem on her blog about the stigma that she has encountered and quotes me from near the beginning of all this saying, "I'd freak out if my kid's babysitter had HIV". Now it's hard to even remember feeling like that.  Yes, I'd want to know but I wouldnt "freak out." 

Education breaks down the stigma and allows us all to see people as who they really are, not just as a virus they carry. Thank you Magic Johhnson for continuing to educate the world and thank you Jessica for educating me (and everyone else you have touched with your blog)!

Stephanie

Impressed by a furniture store?

If you have ever been to an IKEA you know that you can be impressed by a furniture store. Besides IKEA though, can you think of another awesome furniture store that goes above and beyond? I couldn't until our trip to Mississippi.

We stopped by Miskelly Furniture and it was awesome! It is family owned and operated all over the state of Mississippi with Christian values at its core. The main things I loved were Christian music playing, a beautiful globe statue with the Great Commission engraved on it in the foyer, a carousel for kids to ride for only $1(with proceeds going to a local school), free drinks in the cafe, Scripture verses on the walls throughout, and really sweet and friendly employees. The woman working the carousel spoke to the kids by name and was just precious. She was reading her Bible when we walked up!

The furniture was gorgeous and the prices seemed great! I know whenever we are in the market for furniture I will gladly buy it from there!

Not sure what came over me to want to blog about a furniture store on a Friday night, but here ya go!

Stephanie

Monkey Bars!

Here is a short (12 second) video of Nehemiah crossing the monkey bars!

Stephanie

Trip to NOLA turned into a trip to MS! Pt. 2

The very best day of our trip was when we went to Winner's Circle Park and the MS Children's Museum. We had a BLAST!  That has got to be the coolest park ever.  I'll let the pictures explain.  Nehemiah also crossed monkey bars for the first time ever by himself...I was so proud of him! My camera was just about dead at the museum so I don't have many pictures from there.

 Next we headed to the Children's Museum!

I wish I had taken more pictures at the museum because it was so much fun!  We spent over 2 hours inside while there was a torrential downpour outside.  One gross fun part was a digestive system exhibit Nehemiah crawled through...he entered the mouth as "food", sat in the munching stomach, continued to crawl through small and large intestines and came down a slide into a giant potty!  LOL  I just died laughing; I'm such a 12 year old when it comes to stuff like that!  I guess that's why I fit so well with a houseful of boys!

So if you are ever in Jackson, MS do check out the Children's museum and this park but DO NOT waste your time at the zoo! 

Stephanie

Trip to NOLA turned into a trip to MS! Pt. 1

I had mentioned that we had some days off this week and were getting away to New Orleans but that didn't end up happening how we planned.  There were several reasons and maybe I'll be able to explain in the next few weeks. The less complicated reasons being that Nehemiah threw up just 30 minutes down the road and we were just so exhausted and did not want to drive 5 hrs!  We had a good time regardless.  I mainly have negative things to say about Mississippi because we usually have less than par experiences when we travel through there.  But this trip was pretty good, surprisingly! EXCEPT for the Jackson ZOO...poor zoo needs so much work and attention. Nehemiah didn't seem to notice or mind that half the exhibits were overgrown, closed or empty! The best part was the Gibbons that were being engaged irritated by some teenagers and were howling like crazy.

Of course, there is almost never a trip where we don't go to Bass Pro Shop.  I guess a little "redneck" is rubbing off on me!  LOL

I'll do the rest of our pictures in Part 2!

Stephanie

Goodbye 20's, Hello 30's!

Well it will officially be my birthday by the time I finish writing this...I will be 30 years old.

I have never cared about getting older or gray hair and the big 3-0 hasn't bugged me before, but today all of a sudden I felt so sad about it. Not sure why exactly...maybe grieving the closing of another decade and chapter of my life. Maybe it's the missed opportunities and regrets that I cannot get back; the what ifs, what could have beens and the I should'ves...

Here are some thoughts...

What have I done with 30 years?
What kind of impact has my life made?
Am I where I want to be and where God wants me to be in life?
Am I living fully for Him?

I like birthdays (and new years) because it is a time of reflecting and making goals and looking forward to the new adventures ahead. So I was thinking I should set some goals for the areas I feel are not where they should be. At this point I have no idea what my goals are going to be or need to be for the next year of my life or next decade! I will share them at some point when I figure it out a little more.

What kinds of goals have you set before?

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:13-16 NIV84)

Thank you God for another year of life!

Blessed,

Stephanie

St. Patrick's Day homeschool highlights!

We had another fun week in home school and in life in general!  Who wouldn't have fun with a sweet boy like this?!?!?!

This week we checked out a handful of library books and this cool game pictured below.  The library just got these recently and there are all types of subjects! We did the Body Parts book/game this week.

 We also worked on a free kindergarten St. Patrick's Day unit this week.  It was fun and Nehemiah did GREAT on it!  He was being a ham and posing for tons of pictures!

 Today I hid gold coins/treasure all over the house for Nehemiah and one of our other boys to "hunt." They had a BLAST!  We also did "painting" with droppers of colored vinegar on baking soda (even the 10 and 13 year olds enjoyed that!). We still have a skittle activity to do later on, which should be yummy FUN!

 His artwork above is improving so much!  It's so neat to see him starting to draw and make things that look like what he says they are!  LOL I helped with the drawing on the left (the truffula tree and flower). 

Good week, despite being really tired and looking forward to our trip to New Orleans next week! Tomorrow is my 30th birthday and Monday is our 7th wedding anniversary!  How time flies!

So Blessed,

Stephanie