by Mister January 2017, James “Busvlogger” Moore

Some of my favorite things to make videos about are sharing our family traditions and going behind the proverbial ‘curtain’ to see how creative people are building great lives. After almost seven years, making one or two videos a week, it’s hard to pick, but here goes nothin’!

 

1.Food tour in a VW Bus

So, the VW Bus is sorta my thing. (‘BUS’vlogger)  When I found out about a touring company that did farm, food and beverage tours in a VW Bus, I may have gotten too excited. I got to feature them for onlyinark.com. To top it off, we got to invite friends to go along for the ride. Not a bad gig! 

2. My old college stomping grounds:

Making sponsored posts for onlyinark.com affords me the opportunity to visit a lot of amazing people and places. In this case, it was an excuse to revisit my home away from home; Walnut Ridge. It’s the only place in Arkansas that the Beatles ever ‘set foot’. Imagine! https://youtu.be/LpUdq7FX5ZI
 

3. Pumpkin Chili:

Cooking videos require a lot of extra editing; thinking like an editor and host while trying not to screw up your family’s supper is a lot to juggle. This recipe has become such a tradition for us that I had to share it with our viewers. Pumpkin Chili is unique in that it has just as much cinnamon as it does chili powder. Make a sour cream/grated cheddar/chili landing pad out of a cornbread waffle and dinner is served! Even the kids love it, so that makes it all the better. https://youtu.be/Bf9wFE3beFE

 

4. Exploring The Goonies filming locations:

The movie The Goonies is, by far, one of my childhood favorites. While on a road trip this summer, we passed through Astoria, Oregon and visited most of the iconic locations. The one that captured my imagination the most was the spot where the Fratelli’s Hideout was located. The guy that played ‘Chunk’ shared it on Twitter, I might have geeked out a little.  https://youtu.be/FQrTVICKULQ
 

5. Princess Unicorn Rainbow Cupcakes:

This little gem turns five years old in March! With over 1.3 million views, this video is my most successful. My four year old daughter named it, I wish I could claim that I was being intentional; it has all the right buzzwords to make Google fall in love. These rainbow cupcakes are another example of how you never know what the internet will take off and run with. Fun Fact: I wasn’t making ad revenue back when this video was really going crazy. At a penny or two a view, I could’ve been a thousandaire!  https://youtu.be/yzYE9xxUIeA

by Mister January 2017, James “Busvlogger” Moore

Okay, nobody calls me “Arkansas’ Youtuber”, except the precedent has been set on the Arkansas Women Blogger’s site… right here… because I wrote it just now.

Being a stay-at-home dad / video blogger / homestead farmer comes with a lot of diverse daily experiences. Some are glamorous, like the time I was in Anaheim, California having dinner with a Property Brother and the next day nearly (literally) rubbing elbows with Katie Couric. Others are less spectacular. Like that whole series of videos I made chasing our goat wildly round and round from the neighbor’s, only to have her gently lope back into her pen anticlimactically. (It happened so often that I made an intro for the video series.)

Most days, Jamie leaves for work and I get the kids up and ready for school; always insisting to our six year old twins that “I understand that you’ve already brushed your hair, but you don’t require a comb-over like Grandad!”

Once I’ve driven them to school, I have a slow, quiet breakfast with a black, no froo froo, no nonsense coffee.

I take the house pig out on her leash to answer the call of nature and let her eat, uninterrupted in the kitchen, while I take our yellow lab and German shepherd/Cujo mix out to sniff every inch of the yard.

At this point the pig has taken in water, so she needs to make water; one more trip outside before she retires to nap in our bed for most of the day. The dogs “help” me feed the two dairy goats, the five chickens and the two garden ducks. (long story)

We all go back in. Often I’ll put something out to defrost or get something into the crock pot for supper. I email folks about ideas I have for next month’s onlyinark.com video or I’m trying madly to convince someone that I’d be a perfect judge at the Squirrel Cookoff.

I can’t fold clothes or wash dishes without music, so the house is then filled with French electro pop or Sinatra crooning the standards. (I’m complicated)

Usually, shooting a video takes 5 to 15 minutes and editing takes about three hours. So a good chunk of my time is spent editing, then rendering, then uploading, then getting the music copyright cleared, then crafting the perfect thumbnail for people to see and click, then the title, description and then the really technical stuff.

I usually remember to eat lunch around 1:30. So I make myself leave my home office and eat the leftovers that the kids turned their noses up at the night before. Because I’m over forty (I know, shocking) and because I’ll be shuttling kids until supper. I may get a nap, unless the dogs are getting into something or her highness: Princess-Naps-All-Day decides that her curly tail wants to go outside again.

I tuck everyone back into their kennels and put real pants on, for the first time that day, to go get the kids from school. I have the route and the timing orchestrated perfectly. No string of school buses hold me up and I get to the school just as the last poor sucker to wait in the pick-up line pulls away; no duty teacher is put out with me and I don’t have to wait in line. I’m once again the king of dads, a professional, if you will!

Off to the allergist, scouts, dance, church, soccer practice; whatever the afternoon demands. Then back home to check everyone’s backpacks and get homework and supper underway. Jamie gets home from work, we eat, baths, much pleading and bed… for the kids. It’s Jamie and my special time to watch a show and talk; so fifteen minutes later, we’re both asleep on the couch, of course.

By Mister January 2017, James “Busvlogger” Moore

So I switched places with my wife to become the stay-at-home parent right as The Great Recession dropped. (I think that’s what we’re calling it now.) Our income was halved just as we were taking on new college debt; as Jamie started nursing school.

It was a sobering and uncertain time. My aspirations to try my hand at homestead farming, as a hobby, suddenly felt more like a practical survival strategy. Now, we were never truly destitute; we could eat and stay warm. But it was a wake-up call that really stretched us and made us more intentional.

Right about that time, I started making YouTube videos regularly. My brand, for the most part, has been all about crafting your best life; usually through the themes of food, farm, home and travel. This month’s theme ‘Step by Step’ resonates with me deeply. Maybe you’ve heard that phrase: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

My grandmother was poor and young during the Great Depression. (I know, I’m going off on a tangent, but I’ll bring you back.) I remember how grocery shopping with her, for a handful of items, took for-ev-er! She would look at all of the cottage cheese offerings at the store and ‘math’ it to death between the containers’ weights and prices. As a kid of the eighties, a decade of excess, it seemed like insanity!

A few days later, when the cottage cheese had been eaten, the container was washed with the same diligence that was afforded her good Pyrex. In the back room, above the whirring deep freeze, the container was nested with others like it; ghosts of cottage cheeses past. Thinking back, I’m sure the stack of cottage cheese cups were three feet high, at least. Madness! “You never know when you’ll need them.”, she’d say. If she ever sent us home with left-overs, off to the back room she went. A cottage cheese container fit the bill for her cole slaw perfectly.

Fast forward thirty years. Grandma is gone, but her house isn’t. It’s empty, except for storage. It shares a driveway with ours. We’re about to build a barn. Actually, it’ll be a party barn. There’ll be a kitchenette in the corner and a sitting area with big windows facing both the pond and a gorgeous, huge white oak tree. We want to be prepared when our kids are teenagers and need a place to hang out with friends. Okay, it’s really so I can keep an eye on them and know what boys are trouble! (envision me sharpening a knife, giving some boy the stink-eye, here)

Of course, I’m going to make a video series about the barn raising. I’ve gotten a sponsor for one video and am looking for more. I’ll have help for the new concrete slab and I’m hiring a company to put up the posts and roof. The siding, I’ve salvaged from a beautiful old oak barn; it’s piled next to the building site. I’ve also collected the kitchen cabinets and even a  stove top. Through the years I’ve been stacking up some very cool old windows and doors. I didn’t exactly know what they would be for, but… you never know when you’ll need them. They’re in the empty old house across the driveway, next to Grandma’s cottage cheese cups.

Check out some of my local YouTube videos:

Arkansas – A Love Letter to the Natural State

 

by Lacie Ring, Miss December 2016

My alarm bell rings, and I ever so willingly hit the snooze button. I have no idea what the day looks like, because it’s still dark outside. It doesn’t matter for another 8 minutes, because I hit the snooze button again. By now, I can see pale light coming through the blinds. I reluctantly drag myself out of my warm and oh so comfy bed and notice that it’s going to be a dreary rainy day. The sky is grey and there’s not a ray of sunshine to be seen. It’s ok because my very own little ray of sunshine is popping out of bed. My kiddo has this crazy exuberance that I find hard to understand. I ask myself, “How can anyone be so chipper this early in the morning?” My husband is telling me something, but I’m not quite comprehending what is being said. Something about making an appointment or someone has an appointment, I think. I’m pretty sure he is trying to say as much as he can, because he knows once I really wake up he may never get in another word. I make my way to the kitchen where I simultaneously fill my Yeti with Dr. Pepper and get breakfast ready. In my world, Dr. Pepper is coffee and I cannot live without my morning cup. I wish I could tell you that I’m preparing Garrett a well-balanced breakfast, but I would be lying. I have good intentions, but hitting that ever enticing snooze button twice this morning made those intentions fly right out the window. In all actuality, I’m thanking Kellogg’s right now for inventing pop-tarts. As I open the fridge door, it dawns on me that I still have to pack the kiddo’s lunch box. I remind myself that I was busy last night and said I would do it in the morning. I mentally start going over my morning check list…Lunch box packed-check, I brushed my teeth-check, I’m dressed-check, I remembered to put on a bra-check. Ok, I’m ready and the kiddo’s ready, now we can head out the door. Before we can even get in the car the hubby yells out, “Learn something!” to Garrett as he has done every school day since he has worked from home. Yes, my husband works from home and it is glorious, but that’s a subject for another day because it’s carpool time. I pick up the neighbor kids and away we go. I try to get the lowdown on what’s happening in these eleven and twelve year olds’ lives, but it’s like pulling teeth to get more than one word answers. Garrett seems to jabber on with ease, but the other kiddos need a little nudging. I find myself wondering if they aren’t morning people just like me. I’ve pretty much gotten out about all they are willing to say and crank up the radio. I notice Garrett gets a little movement going in his shoulders to the beat, and I know he wants to sing but he’s holding back. Once, I asked him why he doesn’t sing when the other kids are in the car. He bashfully said he doesn’t want to be embarrassed. Oh yes, having this information in my back pocket will prove useful today. I feel it is my parental duty to embarrass him as much as possible. Plus, the caffeine from my morning Dr. Pepper is kicking in. I start belting out the words to our favorite song. Garrett shakes his head but continues to smile. I’m fairly certain that I just accomplished my mission. We arrive at school, I turn the music down, and wish the kids a good day. Now I’m off to fight the morning rush hour traffic to get back home. In these few minutes of uninterrupted silence, my mind is methodically thinking about the day at hand, knowing this will be the most typical thing I do today. Well, besides afternoon car rider line which pretty much works in reverse and includes a daily phone call to my mom.
I sometimes wonder what a typical morning is like for other moms. Then, I get to daydreaming about what it would be like to be Ree Drummond and live the modern pioneer life. Or Joanna Gaines and get to decorate over and over again on someone else’s budget. Or even Adele and be able to sing like an angel. Although, I wouldn’t be able to embarrass Garrett with my singing if I could sing like Adele. It’s fun to wonder and daydream, but I’m so glad I get to be me. My mornings are typical, but the days are never the same. I can’t wait to see what new adventures will happen tomorrow.

by Miss December 2016, Lacie Ring

Depending on where you look, GIVING has many different meanings. My favorite definition that I’ve found of the word giving is…”to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow.”

I want to share with you some ways of giving back in Arkansas that you may overlook.

If you read my introduction post, you know I have been very involved in PTO. Volunteering has been a large part of my life for the past 6 years. As a stay at home mom, it was a luxury I could afford. That’s because it doesn’t cost a dime to volunteer, just a little time and effort. Seeing the smile on a child’s or teacher’s face is so extremely rewarding. Ok, so there may be a little payback with those rewarding smiles.

Teachers receiving free #teachtotes from PTO Today while doing the Mannequin Challenge.

There are so many aspects of volunteering. Fundraising is a big one. The only way the PTO can purchase things such as new playground equipment, books, school supplies, or technology items is through fundraising. The Greenbrier School District hosts a Fall Festival fundraiser every year. I had the honor of chairing this event in 2012. We raised over $100,000 in less than 2 months. That was my first experience in asking for donations. Boy, did I learn a lot. I’ll never forget getting Best Buy to donate an IPad for our raffle. I felt like I conquered the world.

I recently learned about a fundraiser that you may not be aware of yet. It’s through our very own Little Rock Gourmet Popcorn Store the Pop Pop Shoppe.  For every dollar spent, they give back 40%. That’s amazing! Plus, there are no upfront costs and they package everything so you don’t have to sort a thing. If you are looking for a fundraiser, check out the Pop Pop Shoppe. Fundraising is a large part of giving back to our schools. It’s a community effort and every dollar makes a difference.

Just remember, even if you can’t volunteer in person, you can help in other ways. When you receive those letters from your children’s school or PTO asking for help, that’s the time to give back.

Our local school food banks are another amazing way to give back. I recently attended an award ceremony at The Greenbrier Middle School. The Principal mentioned “the kids can’t meet their full learning potential unless their basic needs are met.” This really resonated with me. During the ceremony, I was reminded of a competition to stock the food bank that had taken place and my friend, Amy Crum, helped set this up. I called on my friend to get more details. The information poured out of her like a proud momma talking about her baby. I can’t even tell you in words how excited she was of this amazing program. Amy was in awe of how the teachers got behind this cause. She spoke highly of Mrs. Foster’s and Mrs. Shaw’s homeroom classes for sending in the most food and winning the competition. Check out the trophy that the winning classroom received.

Amy expressed that it wouldn’t be possible without Hope Johnson’s help and the donations from the Greenbrier Nazarene Church. The church donated 50 dinners for Thanksgiving including a turkey and all of the fixings. Our local Harp’s and McDonald’s donated the prizes for the competition. It’s always amazing to me when a big company like McDonald’s helps such a small (on the scale of things) project. Amy was super impressed at how easy it was to get support. She went into our local McDonald’s, asked for a donation, was given a main office phone number for our area, made the call and was given the donation. This is why we put our big girl pants on and ask for what we need. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It’s a complete circle of giving.

Keep in mind when you are eating your regular dinner or taking a normal shower, someone else might not have that luxury. Think about your children’s’ friends and what they may need. Their best friend or a friend of a friend may be the person that needs a helping hand. Sometimes, in our daily lives, we tend to forget that others need a little help. Donating to your local food bank or food pantry is an amazing way to give back. Not only does our food bank need food around the holidays but it relies on donations throughout the year. Please let us know if you would like to contribute and help families in need with this effort to give back by emailing me at easypeasypleasyblog(at)gmail(dot)com.

Another amazing way to give back in Arkansas is through Rhea Lana’s. Did you know that after every sale, you can donate your unsold items? One of my good friends Melissa Polk owns the Rhea Lana’s of El Dorado Franchise. So, naturally she was my go to contact for more information. Melissa told me that, since 1997 Rhea Lana’s has made giving back a major focus of what they do. With 80 franchises in 26 states, giving back through Rhea Lana’s reaches far wider than just Arkansas. Melissa stresses, it’s all because of the very generous consignors. Their generosity is making lasting changes in communities across America. Thousands of items are donated at the end of each event.

The donations go to local non-profits such as local foster families, school guidance counselors, pregnancy crisis centers, community clothing closets, etc. Not only does Rhea Lana’s make sure those items get into hands of needy families after the sale, they also make giving back a priority all year long. Specifically, in El Dorado, Melissa with Rhea Lana’s has partnered with Hope Landing for each event to provide other items besides clothes for the Hope Box.

In an upcoming event in the spring they will be partnering with The Call in Union County to host The Arkansas Heart Gallery. Melissa proudly says we are moms helping moms. I love that! Make sure and check with your local Rhea Lana’s to see how you can make a difference by giving back.

Have you ever thought about the lottery as a way of giving back? The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has helped provide close to $700 million for scholarships to Arkansas students since 2009. That’s a lot of giving back to our children. More than 92 cents of every dollar spent goes to prizes, scholarships, retailer commissions, and other expenses. Did you know that over 235,000 students have been awarded the Academic Challenge Scholarship? I checked it out and there have been over 10,000 scholarships awarded in my county alone. That definitely gives me hope for my kiddo to receive some financial help when it’s his turn to attend college. Go out and purchase Arkansas Scholarship Tickets this holiday season to help give back to our students. Make sure and use #GiveInstantJoy if you post any pictures on Social Media.

Last but not least, let’s not forget about the Arkansas Women Bloggers and The Women Bloggers. I wouldn’t be anywhere in blogging without this whole community of wonderfully supportive women. Stephanie Buckley’s support is never ending! Next time you get an email or social media message from Debbie Horton Arnold, Julie Bulissa Kohl, Ashley Ederington, or Rhonda Bocock Franz asking for help in an unpaid capacity, that’s your chance to give back to this community. It takes a village to raise this baby we call the Arkansas Women Bloggers and together we are that village.

My hope in writing this post is to bring awareness to ways you can give back that you may not know about while supporting our own. My motto is…”Give what you can every chance you get whether big or small.”

Hey Y’all! I’m so excited to be hanging out with you for the month of December. It’s my birthday month, so I feel like I’ve received an early birthday present. I’m extremely honored to be the blogger of the month.

I’m a wife, momma to one amazing boy, kid chauffer, amateur chef wannabe, volunteer, night owl, and a self-proclaimed rambler. I LOVE to talk but only after my morning Dr.Pepper. I’ve endearingly named my little family “The Three Ring Circus”. Being our last name is Ring and there are three of us, it’s only fitting because most weeks feel like a circus. I have no idea why, but when creating a name for my blog it never occurred to me to use something as obvious as a name I already use. I’m assuming I was having a blonde moment.

Starting a blog was something I had thought about for years but never could muster the courage to take the plunge. One evening less than 2 years ago while I had a rare night alone, I thought to myself, why not really give blogging a try? At the time, I was Parent Teacher Organization President of my kiddo’s school. I was trying to get those creative juices flowing and had been searching Google and Pinterest for new PTO ideas. I really couldn’t find much on the topic. I figured, if I’m searching for more information and ideas for PTO then I bet others are too. It hit me that I just maybe could make a contribution to this niche by blogging about our PTO events. On a whim that night, I did a little research on how to start a blog for free. I was afraid blogging would be like all of my other hobbies. I tend to jump from one hobby to the next. So naturally, I was afraid to invest any money at all. In this hurried, just want to give it a shot, maybe it will stick state of mind, I came up with the name Easy Peasy Pleasy and away I went. Initially, I started blogging about PTO. I quickly realized there are only so many events that you can blog about through the year and I needed to fill the gaps. That’s when I started thinking about all the times my family and friends have asked me for a recipe or help on a project. (Oh, how I wish I had been blogging through all those projects back in the day.) I might as well throw in those recipes or write about new projects. With the progression of my blog, I’ve turned my focus on making all things easy and simplifying life. Now I’m extremely happy with choosing the name Easy Peasy Pleasy. That name gives me the chance to branch out to different areas of life that can be made easier. So, now you know how Easy Peasy Pleasy was born.

Since then I’ve read some books, researched a lot, and have some amazing blogger friends who have helped me along the way. My blog mindset has always been centered on Pinterest. I LOVE Pinterest! Before I ever started my blog, I actually uploaded pictures to Pinterest just to share my ideas. Since most of my traffic comes from Pinterest, I try to work my blog post to be Pinterest friendly. Last school year, I was PTO president for the second time. I was still blogging on a free site and making no money. I told myself, if I could keep up blogging while being the PTO President then I knew I was into my blog for the long haul. It wasn’t just another hobby I would let drift away like so many others. I took the leap. I purchased my domain name and became self-hosted at the beginning of this year. After 6 years of volunteering with PTO and attending Megaphone Summit in September, I decided I would take some time to really focus on Easy Peasy Pleasy. It’s been a crazy ride ever since and I’ve met some amazingly wonderful people through The Arkansas Women’s Bloggers. The blog has grown by leaps and bounds. Turning my hobby blog into a passion is the best decision I’ve made. I still can’t believe I’m so lucky to do something I love and earn cash to boot. Y’all, this is the first time in eleven years that I can buy my husband a gift that he doesn’t actually pay for. That’s the icing on the cake in this journey.

Thank you so much for letting me share my story with you. You can find all my easy recipes, DIY ideas, fun inspiration, and tips to simplify your life at EasyPeasyPleasy.com

You can also find me on Pinterest Lacie @ EasyPeasyPleasy, Facebook page Easy Peasy Pleasy, Instagram @EasyPeasyPleasy, and Twitter @EasyPeasyPleasy

Feel free to copy, paste, and share.

by Vickie Henderson, Miss November 2016

SHOULD I WEAR THIS HAT?

Every night when I plug my phone into the charger, I savor the fact that I quit setting an alarm two years ago. Nevertheless, the sun rarely beats me up. My addiction to coffee drives me out of bed and I’m a gulper, not a sipper. Not much about my day is typical except I make my bed, eat breakfast, take my meds and brush my teeth. I know you’re glad to hear that. Mostly, I change hats all day.

I check my calendar then often sit on the porch with my bible, journal and of course the oversized mug of coffee. Nothing satisfies me more than checking tasks off my to-do list, though I flagrantly ignore stuff I don’t want to do.

Ten hours a week I’m back in my work clothes and wearing my CMO (chief medical officer) hat. It’s a new role after not working for two and a half years, but it fits perfectly. Oddly, the smell of the hospital is comfortable and familiar. No doubt it’s because health care professionals work intense, long hours and require continually flowing pots of coffee which permeates every hallway. Did I mention I’m addicted to caffeine?

I wear a ball cap to play golf. Wearing my social hat, I catch up with a friend over a plate of food or the swish of jets in the nail salon. When I practiced medicine, I never had time to wear that hat. Wearing my bike helmet again makes me happier than it should.

My alter-ego, Vickie Petz Henderson, has a whole closet of various hats. I wear my blogger hat to create posts and graphics. I wear my broadcasting hat to interview authors, writers, musicians and ordinary people with extraordinary faith stories on “My Journey of Faith Radio.” My own author hat is on the shelf for now as I wait to hear from a publisher.

My favorite hat is attached to a microphone. My dad says I was born talking, so public speaking suits me. From my report cards, my teachers didn’t always see incessant chattering as an asset.

The only typical in my day is connecting, because I love people. After all, that’s how they will know.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know you are my disciples if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (NIV)

by Vickie Henderson, Miss November 2016

The death watch after my grandmother’s stroke ended on my birthday. Though I stayed for hours during those last nine days, she exhaled her last breath before I arrived at the hospital. My family stopped midway through the 100 mile trip for a quick birthday dinner. While the chef twirled knives over the hibachi I got the call. I plopped back into my seat to have a celebratory photo snapped with a grin cracked on my face to hide the crack in my heart. My hair was in place, my make-up looked fresh and I had on a cute shirt, but my sorrow was invisible.

My grandmother died on my birthday ten years ago, before my social media savviness days. Today, the birthday Polaroid oozing with life, would be posted to Facebook and Instagram. My followers would stop scrolling and hit the thumbs up button. I looked so dang happy. But I wasn’t.

Teddy was right,

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” (Theodore Roosevelt)

Next time you peek into the family life of your social media friends and wish your life was more like theirs, remember this:

A smiling picture only proves the muscles in the corners of your mouth work.

Would we envy someone’s family if we knew the whole story? If we could spread our two fingers to enlarge the photo and see inside the heart of the real struggles, we might feel immense gratitude for our own problems and family dysfunction. It’s easy to want what someone else has, until you realize what you have. So love your family, no matter what.

Your family is the best,
because they are yours.

“Leave it Beaver” went off the air in 1963. Now families are like patch-work; blended and grafted together. The ideal family of mom and dad and two and half kids is shattered by illness, death and divorce. Social media inundates us with happy family pictures and feeds the joy thief – comparison. A picture is worth a thousand words, but who knows if the audio matches the video?

I’ll be the first to admit, mine doesn’t. Though the hurt from the rift in our relationship was raw, we wound up in the same cool place together and on the other side of someone’s camera. Standing hip to hip, we plastered cheese over our lips and posted to Facebook. Comments blew up with, “Y’all look like you are having so much fun.” Yeah right. We were miserable, but no one knew. So quit comparing your family to another and love what you have instead of focusing on what you don’t have.

Your family is the best,
because they are yours.

“Be content with what you have” Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)

The question isn’t supposed to be hard. The answer used to flow off my tongue, then suddenly I stammered. I think I’ve got it figured out now, but instead of a sentence, it’s a paragraph.

People ask me difficult questions, like, “How are you feeling?” and “How many children do you have?” I realize that one shouldn’t be complicated, but that’s another story. I still cringe a little every time I hear the universal question,

“What do you do?”

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a writer. Somewhere along the way I ended up in medical school, which made the universal question easy.  “I am a doctor” or “I’m an obstetrician/gynecologist.” For simplicity sake or to be a little ornery sometimes I said, “I work at a hospital.”

Then my life turned upside down

I was too weak to move. In June of 2014 I developed a rare neuromuscular disease called myasthenia gravis which causes profound muscle weakness. Restless and full of energy, I entered a season of chronic stillness. Then the questions were hard. Brows furrowed when I told people I was a retired physician. They studied my face and tried to guess my age. “Disabled” added a look of pity coupled with suspicion since my illness is invisible. My cheeks flushed red and I looked at the floor the first time I mustered up the courage to answer, “I’m a writer,” I felt like such a wannabe.

Six months into my illness, I steadied my index finger and hit publish for my first post on “My Right Side Up Life.” Having my very own blog makes me a writer, right? I had to go to school for twelve years to become a physician so it didn’t feel right to proclaim myself a writer without credentials. I attended writing and speaking conferences, enrolled in training courses and joined Arkansas Women’s Bloggers Network for helpful tips, correction and encouragement.

About the time “writer and speaker” felt comfortable tumbling across my lips, I published a book, “Dressing the Wound: Give Yourself the Gift of Forgiveness.” Okay, so now I’m an author. I can relate to the look I saw in new mother’s eyes when I sent them home from the hospital with their newborn. What am I supposed to do with it now?

So what do I do?

Well, I am a retired physician. I am a patient; disabled by a disease most people have never heard of. I am an author, blogger, speaker and host of an online radio broadcast, “My Journey of Faith.” Dipping my foot back into medicine, I recently accepted an administrative position as part-time CMO (chief medical officer) at my local hospital. Nevertheless, I still make time to sit on my front porch and you are welcome to join me anytime.

The fragments of my life snap together like puzzle pieces. Despite the bags under my eyes from years of sleep deprivation, nothing is more precious than a baby’s first cry and the softness of newborn feet. I wouldn’t trade a single minute of my career as an obstetrician/gynecologist. The years I spent counseling women through every imaginable triumph and heartbreak give me unique insight into a woman’s heart. My experience teaching the Bible to a unique group of women laid a solid foundation of truths which I draw from in my writing. While I raised my children, I illustrated life lessons out of every ordinary experience. When my handicap derailed my active lifestyle, my own words echoed in my ears. Now, my little girl dreams of becoming an author have come true. I’m still not sure what to do with it, I only know I want my words to matter. Mostly, I write to myself the words I need to hear. Publishing my thoughts is a gamble that others might benefit too. My goal is to encourage others to find the blessings in adversity when life turns upside down.

Connect on social media

Facebook: Vickie Petz Henderson

Twitter: @rightsideuplife

Instagram: myrightsideuplife

Pinterest: Vickie Petz Henderson

Author of “Dressing the Wound: Give Yourself the Gift of Forgiveness.” Available on Amazon and Kindle.

Host of a weekly on-line radio broadcast, “My Journey of Faith,” where she interviews authors, musicians and people with interesting stories from all over the United States.

Blog, “My Right Side Up Life” encourages others to find the blessings in adversity. www.myupsiderightlife.com