I... DONT... THINK... SO

Dear Meagan,

So this is going back a couple weeks now (to Jan 1st) but I still can not stop thinking about this amazing moment in the Rose Bowl game where MSU (go green) rocked Stanford to take home the 100th rose bowl championship game :) Woooo hooooo!

What I remember most from that game is this critical play. We were SO close to winning but Stanford had a shot if they could get just 1-2 yards on this play.  Chris Ellsworth was in the game (I believe) covering for Max Bullogh who had been suspended.

The pictures below show the story... but he basically said I... DON'T...THINK ... SO!  He FLEW I am not kidding you FLEW over all the men on the field and stopped the Stanford player like a brick wall.  It was amazing!!! He was minutes away from winning the rose bowl and he took complete control. In an interview he told the reporter that the best way to stop him was by jumping over all the other players. Hey do what you gotta do I guess... here are the photos:










And of course there is a life lesson in all of this :)  When you are on your way to success there will be close calls and instances when people try to stop you. Bullies of any kind... but like Chris Ellsworth you just gotta say I... DON'T... THINK... SO!!!

The reason I wanted to share this with you is because in a recent facebook post you talked about your tumor affecting your relationships.  You said some guy stopped talking to you when he found out and some of your girlfriends stopped talking to you as well because they may have not known how to react... don't let these people or anyone else stop you from becoming the success that you are becoming.  Say I... DON'T... THINK... SO!!! And carry on.

I'm so proud of you taking class and working! You have made such incredible progress. I love you schwester, see you this weekend :)

XOXO,

Brooke

San Francisco Christmas Photo Memoir!

It all started with a little Karaoke in the airport

And a flight over the mountains to sunny San Fran

Where trolleys were plentiful...

But teeth were scarce...

The Sutherland's, Roman's and Van Oast's visited Napa in STYLE!

  

And took a fancy limo...

To three wineries (Chateau Montelana- photo 1, Tedechi- photo 1&2, and Frank Family Farms- no photo)

  

Lots of time was spent in the beautiful Belvedere:

  

The group also took a ride on a ferry...

  

To downtown San Fran!

  

All in all they had a lot of family fun!

     

But of ALL the photos... this is number one!

Love you Sissy!!! Had a great time on our trip :)

XOXO,

Brooke

Working Girl! Working Girl!

Dear Meagan,

Last night completed your THIRD shift at your new j-o-b! I am so pumped for you and proud of you. Getting back in the work force is a gigantic step forward for you. You are such a role model to others who have struggled, you never gave up and are back to being a contributing member of society! Woo hoo!  I love how you described your job to me, "I get to walk around and make the store look pretty." You have such a positive attitude about your new job and I foresee long and happy employment for you there.

WikiHow posted, "How to be a good employee" (http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Good-Employee). Although you are a stellar employee already, I thought I would share their tips and tricks with you! Use this blog as a quick guide but check out the link above for a full description.

1.Behave professionally
2. Learn to take criticism graciously
3.Learn to do your job, and do it well
4. Cultivate good relationships with the people in your organization; they are experts in their departments
5. When you get the opportunity to learn a new skill, receive training for a different activity, or take a study course paid for by your employer- do it!
6. Maintain a clean job performance record
7. Be on time
8. Ask your supervisor what the expectations for outcomes are
9. Be part of the solutions
10. Don't drag your feet
11. Be quiet and work (aka no gossiping)
12. Always be productive
13. Dress appropriately for work
14. Hold your head high and be confident
15. Volunteer or be active in projects to get the job done
16. Don't spend a lot of time on personal phone calls/texting
17. Use the last 15-20 minutes of your shift
18. Offer junior employees guidance and encouragement
19. Acceptance (of company policy) is key
20. Be appreciative, always say thank you to bosses and co-workers


Make sure to continuously evaluate yourself as an employee using these traits. It is great to have self-awareness so people don't have to tell you where to improve, you can work on it on your own! You are kicking butt lady! Keep it up!

XOXO,

Brooke

Tattoo Lady!

Dear Meagan,


TATTOOED LADY! Woo hoo... you got your survivor tattoo and I absolutely LOVE it!!!




I love that you got the gray brain cancer ribbon on your neck, close to your head... and of course with the word SURVIVOR! This is a perfect location, and every time someone sees it they will have some understanding of the incredible struggles that you have overcome! I love how much meaning your new ink has! Also the heart at the top of the ribbon... awesome!

I'm sure XS gave you a lot of care detail but remember not to let any sun beat down on it for a couple months to prevent fading. Also it is going to scab up soon... DO NOT PICK IT! When you pick it, it will pull the color out and you will end up with a splotchy ribbon. I was religious about this and ended up with no spots of missing color, but I know a few people who picked and have color missing at those spots now. Also make sure to be really good about the cleaning regimen they gave you! It's like having a nasty wound that you want to heal perfectly, you have to take care of it in order for that to happen!

Love the new ink, love, love, love. And love you too!

XOXO,

Brooke

Improving your Memory

Dear Meagan,

You have come so far in your journey of recovery! You are now using your days productively and are a self-starter! I am so proud of you and how far you have come :)

Even though you have made unbelievable progress, there is still one challenge you face... your memory. So this blog is all about how to improve your memory.

The first recommendation I have is to spend 15-20 minutes per day on lumonisity.com to do some brain training! When you had your surgeries a lot of brain pathways were broken. The amazing thing? They have the power to re-wire and become good as new. So RIGHT NOW set a DAILY alarm on your phone to do your lumonisity training. Sometime mid-morning may work best for you. Seriously STOP reading and make the alarm!....

Ok the next thing that I've read can improve your memory is an exercise you do at night right before bedtime (maybe as you are brushing your teeth, etc). Before you fall asleep recall everything you did that day. From morning until night, as detailed as you possibly can. At first it will be VERY rough and you may only remember a thing or two but STICK with it! So RIGHT NOW put a sign near your bed or on the bathroom mirror that reminds you to recall your day. This is supposed to be a great exercise.

Another important component is to EAT properly and SLEEP properly. Sleeping properly means on a schedule 7-9 hours a night and maybe a nap during the day ;)  Eating properly means fruits, veggies, whole grain, healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, lean meat), beans, lean dairy, and fish! In fact taking Omega 3 vitamins on top of regularly consuming fish would be a great idea for your brain training!

So start this journey by taking these three steps. Play on lumonisity, recall your day, and eat/sleep well. Once your memory is improved I truly believe you will be able to accomplish your goals of being independent :)

XOXO,

Brooke

Trust God

Dear Meagan,

There is a plan for your beautiful life :)

XOXO,

Brooke

New Job... New Chapter!

Dear Meagan,

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy :) Huge congratulations on your new J-O-B! I am so happy that you found something that you are familiar with and that is so close to home!  This is a great step forward Meaggy and I am so pumped for ya!  Annnnnd its even better then your previous dry cleaning job because you don't actually do any dry cleaning there lol.

No matter how long this chapter lasts, you are out there seeking employment and becoming self sufficient so way to go!  You will get that house/apartment soon enough!

I don't want to wear you out today just want to say congratulations! Make sure that you bring a notepad with you so you can write down any thing or processes they are training you on... good luck chica! You will do great... who couldn't love ya? ;)

XOXO,

Brooke