The Brave Duck Patti Saves the Day! is here and I could not be more excited about it.  This book is about obstacles in life but we must keep going no matter what.  Just like living with my MS, I will keep going for the ones that I love.  Patti does just that in the book for her brother. It’s all about love my friends. Love conquers everything!

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to read the book and supporting my journey in writing. Funny how a passion I never knew I had in me came alive by writing this book.  When the world seems to be filled with bad, I am honored to share my story of love with everyone in this book.

Hope you enjoy the book and thanks to everyone who helped make this possible.

HUGE SHOUT OUT to my cousin Brian. Without him, this book would have never been published. He was the tech genius behind bringing this book to be an actual hard cover book! I already had my thank you’s in book template so was unable to add him to the book but he is the real reason it is published! Thank you so much Brian for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this for me! Love you!

With every end, comes a beginning. A beginning to start over, to change, to improve, to grow, to slow down, to just be.  It doesn’t have to be a NEW YOU, you are who you are. So be YOU and be who YOU want to be. And be a good one at that.

With my diagnosis of MS, I realized that I only have this one body and one life to live.  My body is already “injured,” so it is even more important that I take the best care of it.  There are no do overs with our lives. You only live once, so live the best you can, while you can.

One of my mottos with living with MS is this:

The disease MS is going to do what it wants to do. That is the basic truth. So I am going to give it one heck of a fight to not let it win, so in the worst case scenario that it does win, at least I can say I tried. And that is all we can do.

Be YOU and be the best YOU.

I am so excited to share with you all my wonderful health update.  I had my yearly MRI last week and the MRI showed NO NEW LESIONS and my MS is STABLE!!!!!!!! If I could put a million !!!! I would! My neurologist said the treatment I am taking is working, doing what it is suppose to do, and to continue with what I am doing. OMG! Thank you God!!!!

As I lay in the MRI machine, I do a whole lot of praying thanking God for everything, and also get this inner drive in my heart to keep fighting and keep moving. But, no moving in the MRI machine hehe!

Then the fear comes over me thinking of what if the results are not good, what if it shows new lesions or more damage? But as the Holy Spirit, I say, kicks me out of that state of thinking.  I feel that fear only makes the fight stronger.

So here is to a NEW YEAR of fighting MS, staying ABLE, and being healthy for my children, who I am SO blessed to be their mommy:)

With it being my 10 year Anniversary living with MS, I have special thanks….

1. My husband, Nathan.                                                                                              You are my rock. You are my hero. You are my best friend. We have been in this journey from the very beginning and you have never given up on me.  I will forever be grateful that you have stuck by my side and have supported me in every way. I love you with all my heart and will always be ABLE and strong for you and our family. God gave me you. And I am so blessed to be your wife.
2. My children, Harper, Delani, and Lance.                                                            You are my everything and my whole world.  I am so blessed to be your mommy.  You three are miracles from God in so many ways. I promise to be ABLE and with you always. I can not wait to see the amazing things you will do in this world. You make me the happiest person being your mommy. I love you!
3. My family.                                                                                                             With your love and support, the fight is there.  You are the best family a person could have. Our love for one another is so special and we can always count on one another. Together, nothing is impossible and there is always a way. Thank you for everything.
4. God.  I thank God everyday for all my blessings and amazing things God has done and continues to do.  I know with HIM and through HIM, I am going to be okay and make it.  All things are possible to those who BELIEVE. I believe in the works of the Lord. God is oh so good!
5. My gym, JC Health and Fitness.                                                                               I never have had a gym that I can honestly say is like a family to me.  I truly feel blessed to have met some great people and can call them friends.  The support and encouragement there is like no other.  Thanks to Josh, Megan, Emily, Mandy, Sherri, and other staff members for all you do. Thank you to the trainers for keeping me ABLE and STRONG! I owe it to you guys!
6. My nurse,Mary.                                                                                                           I am so blessed to have such a fabulous nurse who infuses my treatment once a month.  Mary has the biggest heart out there and I look forward to seeing her every month.  She is honest and open with me on all things related to my health but encourages me as well.  Bringing her a coffee each month is the least thing I can do to tell her how much I appreciate her.
7. To all my supporters.                                                                                       Thank you thank you for supporting me the past 10 years.  Thanks to all of you, over $150,000 has been raised from Marci’s Stampede. I am speechless each year when raising funds against MS comes up.  The graciousness of you all is mind blowing. I can NOT thank you all enough, but will sure try. And hope you know how thankful I am for your support!

I could truly go on and on… THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!

Wishing you a very blessed Thanksgiving with your loved ones.

xo

COMING SOON!!!

My children’s book,

The Brave Duck Patti Saves the Day!

I am so excited to share this book with all of you. It is sure to be one to make you smile!

Reserve your copy today!

Stay healthy, happy, and strong!

xo

Back to School Time!

Can you believe it is that time of the year already? Summer flew by that is for sure. I hope you all have had a wonderful summer filled with memories and laughter.

With the new school year starting, let the learning and growing begin. For you and your children. Never stop learning. There is so much out there and it only makes your stronger. Keep your mind open to possibilities and plans God has in store for you. Be willing and be still. You got this!

Stay healthy, happy, and strong!

xo

Fresh Produce Season is upon us. And is it not just the BEST?!?!

Farmer’s Markets are in every town now it seems. Many of them have a variety of vendors from produce, bake goods, crafts, jewelry, and more.

My favorite thing to do with fresh produce such as broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and yellow squash is to cut up the veggie of choice (or combo if you would like), then drizzle with olive oil, season with seasoning of choice    ( I usually do garlic salt, lawry’s, and pepper) , and bake for 25 minutes at 425 degrees. It is a “go to” staple on the dinner table many nights a week in our house. Yummy! And healthy! What is better than that?!?!

Here is a link to find a farmer’s market near you.

http://localfarmmarkets.org/ILfarmmarkets.php

Stay healthy, happy, and strong!

xo

Happy Summer!!!

The sun is shining and temperatures are HOT!

Welcome Summer! It is a time of outdoor fun, swimming, boating, cookouts, baseball, fireflies, and so much more. One thing I notice all the time is how many people are on their cell phones while outside. Like, on their cell phones ALL the time. Don’t get me wrong, I look to my phone throughout the day, but also want to be PRESENT with my children, family, and friends. It makes me so sad to see people missing the moments right in front of them NOT on the cell phone.

So, I want to encourage you to GET OFF YOUR PHONE this summer! Take breaks from it at least and go PLAY! Be a kid yourself again and HAVE FUN!!

Stay healthy, happy, and strong!

xo

We live in the greatest country on earth. But lately with all the hate, violence, and deaths happening in our country and across the world…let’s BE THE GOOD in this world.  At times it feels like there is nothing we can do to help this country, but there is.

We can PRAY for our country and our world for peace.

We can BE THE GOOD, by DOING good, SHOWING the good, GIVING the good.

Our vets deserve this for giving their lives to protect each and every one of us and give us the land of the free.

So on this Memorial Day, remember those who served and continue to serve our country. Pray for them and thank God for giving us our beautiful country of the United States of America!

Stay healthy, happy, and strong!

xoxo

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Can NOT thank everyone enough who supported the MS WALK 2017.  Thanks to all your generous donations, Marci’s Stampede raised over $12,000! Over exceeding the goal for the team this year. Unbelievable! Truly.

Because of your generous donations….new and better medications are designed to help those living with MS. And, it helps other diseases as well with research and medications too. Helping so many!

So THANK YOU times a million, then another million again!

I will be forever obsessively grateful!

Stay healthy, happy, and strong!

xo