The Blog is Back. Time to Get Real.

According to this blog, I have a six month old baby, dark brown hair and I am going to Vegas in three days. Although that all sounds very lovely, I have to inform you none of the above facts are true.



I do have a baby, however she is now a year and a half. I think that makes her a toddler... and she is the size of an average three year old.




My hair is blonde again. This is a great thing.


And Vegas was a great time, however Edmonton seems to be as cool as my vacations are getting these days.



I also now have four tattoos compared to the zero I had before. SAY WHAT?

Badass, I know.

It has almost been a year to the day since I last wrote a blog entry. And according to my whopping three previous entries, I was what they call an 'avid blogger' (just kidding). However, I would LOVE to be an avid blogger so this moment, right now, shall commence the baby steps towards that.

Now, lets get serious for a brief moment.

I stopped writing for a reason, and that reason was not laziness or procrastination (although that would be a an easy explanation). The real reason was much more personal, debilitating and to be honest with you a whole lot more challenging. The real reason was mental illness. Yupp I said it, and as far as I am concerned the whole world can know that I have been diagnosed with and continue to battle ailments that are clinically classified as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

There is no need to go into detail about all of my symptoms, countless therapy sessions, endless psychiatric evaluations, multiple hospital stays, terrifying panic attacks, different medications or all the  breakdowns that accompanied these illnesses. The important thing is that they all lead me to where I am today. Better. Not 100% better, but at least a solid 87% better. I now understand I will never be the same person I was before all of this came to be, but I know in my heart I will in fact, be okay. Which if you asked me back in February when I hit my all time low, I would of had a much different answer for ya. Thanks to a handful of amazing professionals, great friends and family, a proper dose of medication, exercise, a nutritional diet and a good sense of humour I have gotten to where I am today.

Now hear me out. I am not in any way shape or form writing this to attract attention, or gain sympathy. Please do not view me differently, or feel as though you constantly need to ask me how I'm doing. You will know if I am not doing so hot, trust me on that one. I am being open and honest about my struggles to give people hope and let people know I am more than willing to listen, help and give the best advice that I can. Above, when I mentioned that I hit an all time low, you need to understand how drastically low it really was. Mental illness, regardless of what it may be, is an awful thing. No one chooses it. And more people then you would ever even know, struggle with some form of this disease. That being said, I would like to extend a huge thank-you to all of those who knew of my battles and provided and continue to provide endless support. You guys are da bomb.

Seriousness, over.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned next Saturday for a much more uplifting post on getting over a fear of raw chicken and how not to seem crazy after setting up your Christmas decor two months early.