cmypassion /

Dee’s Diary: Not Just For Birthdays & Gifts…

God parents 2

 

I have always wanted to be a godmother and I’ve always loved kids. For some this may come as a surprise, because of my patience to wait a couple of years before having children of my own. The brutal reality is that having a child can dramatically change your lifestyle and bank balance. Can I hear the parents say, “Amen”?

They are not something that you can pick up and put down for a couple months, like a fresh new Hermes handbag. Children need time, love and dedication, things we all know to be true. That is why when I got asked to be the godparent to some of the kids I hold dear, it was a no brainer for me. However, I also realised that my involvement in their lives wouldn’t just be wittled down to just birthday and gifts. They would sometimes need an extra sounding board and even a firm talking to if they were getting out of line.

With all that being said on the 31st March 2014 at 10:34am Nailani Hornback was born.
Nailani

My God-daughter.

Diagnosed at the 20 week scan as having Ebstein’s Anomaly. A very rare heart condition, that accounts for only 1% of congenital heart defects but its impact is significant, especially to those directly affected. Nai, as we like to call her, had a BT shunt procedure / operation at 8 days old at St. Thomas hospital after being on a ventilator and 10 different intravenous infusions to keep her alive since birth. Without that operation she wouldn’t have been here today. The ‘shunt’ allowed blood to flow to the correct parts of the body so those parts, organs could function properly. She remained in hospital a further 3 and a half weeks and was then discharged home for the first time where she did nothing but thrive and growth healthy and strong!

In August 2015, at only year and a half, she under went the first stage of a three part surgery called a Fontan. Nai now functions on basically uni ventricular heart (half a heart) system as they have bypassed the right side of her heart through this procedure. She now has 6 monthly check ups and takes daily aspirin orally (dissolve tablet) to thin her blood and make sure she doesn’t get blood-clots.

At nearly three years old she has been through so much and is an absolute fighter! She is a daily reminder to me of God’s grace and blessing. We as adults sometimes take life for granted, but she has had to fight so much, but you wouldn’t know it by her cheeky smile and shy nature.

I'm On A Dechox

For the month of March, I’m taking up the #DeChox challenge for the British Heart Foundation. This will involve me abstaining from ALL chocolate products, so that means no chocolate fudge cake, no chocolate fingers or even a hot chocolate.

Please support my efforts to fundraise by donating here

I’m trying to raise £350 for this amazing charity, in order for other young children like Nailani to also have the amazing start to life that this precious girl has.

 

I’ll be updating my journey on all of my social media channels via #DeeDeChox and you can follow me via

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cmypassion

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsherpassion

JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/denisepowell

Snapchat: cmypassion

 

 

 

 

 

N.B If you would also like to see my other entry to ‘Dee’s Diary’ please click here and  if you would like to show your support for ‘It’s Her Passion’ on Facebook, you can also do so here.
cmypassion /

Dee’s Diary: Learning the ART of rest


The last two weeks have been a rollercoaster to say the least; from car accidents, doctor’s appointments, a couple A&E visits and paramedics visiting my home. I can honestly say, I met my match with this one!

The one thing that I kept hearing from not only medical professionals but also my friends and family is that I MUST rest! For some this is an easy task, but for someone like myself who is a creative and always thinking of ideas, dreams and goals – resting is not something that comes naturally to me.

I can become so transfixed on the ‘goal’ I’m trying to achieve that everything can fall by the waste side and that includes my health. I mean, if God almighty Himself, took a day to rest then how much more so should I?

So again, I’m learning the art of rest! Taking the time to actually do nothing and listening to my body when it needs time out from everything and everyone!

P.S. I’ll still be blogging, they can’t stop me from doing that! lol

 

Until Next Time,

Dee.x

cmypassion /

Dee’s Diary: 30 Days To Go…

Wedding Pic

Today marks exactly 30 days till I celebrate my first wedding anniversary and to be honest, it doesn’t seem real that almost 365days have gone past.

I vividly remember the effort from not only D.P. (my husband) and I, but also all those around us like our bridesmaids, groomsmen, friends and family that worked tirelessly to make our day so special and it truly was!

I’ve heard it commonly said, that the first year of marriage can be incredibly hard and though this has some truth to it, I can honestly say that hasn’t been my overall experience. So seeing as there are 12 months in a year, I thought I’d share the twelve things that I’ve learnt in this past year about marriage.

Twelve things about marriage….

 

  1. Continuous communication is vital: 

This had to be first on my list! I’m not sure about other couples, but learning how to communicate properly to each other was something D.P. and I had learn all over again, because of this new 24/7 dynamic to our relationship. Over the past 11 months I’ve learnt that I can’t always give just the headline version, it’s in the details that my most inner thoughts are really expressed and truly recognised and that is ultimately what D.P. wants to know.

 

  1. It’s the little things:

Now this can be taken in two ways: it’s the little things that mean so much or it’s the little things that can have the biggest negative affect. You choose! Although D.P. doesn’t do this, I can imagine that if I found him leaving his socks on the bedroom floor continuously – this would be incredibly annoying! After a while it could start to have a negative effect on the relationship. Why not plant seeds of happiness – never leaving the house without a kiss – even if you’re angry with your partner?

 

  1. Show love every day:

Something as simple as offering to make a cup of tea when your partner comes in can make such a difference to their day. Me, I’m the type of person who doesn’t like to be bombarded once I step into the house. So from before we got married D.P. knew, “Can you give me 15 mins to rest/collect my thoughts etc when I first walk in?”… It’s only 15 mins, but it makes the world of difference to me and as a result it changes how I will react to anything else that evening.

 

  1. Everyone is excited about this new chapter of your life: 

I’ve often heard it said that when you marry someone, you not only marry them but also their family. If this statement is true, then having good relationships with your in-laws can have a major effect on your marriage. Fortunately I’ve got a great relationship with my in-laws independent of D.P. No Mother-in-law drama over here!

 

  1. It’s no longer about you:

No matter what, you have to stop thinking about yourself and come to the understanding that what you say and do has an effect on the one you’ve chosen to spend the rest of your life with.

 

  1. It’s a team effort:

This is pretty self-explanatory and feeds back into number five. Your “Me, me, me” vernacular has to become “We” and “Us”.

 

  1. Money talks:

Everyone has their own thinking, feelings and experiences when it comes to money. When you get married these experiences can potentially influence what you do with your money. Are you the type to let it go once it’s in your hands or you could be the one who holds onto it so tightly it never has a chance to breathe? As a couple you will have to learn how you will discuss money and as a result what each of you will do with it.

 

  1. Don’t stop living your life:

Although marriage makes two people become one, you shouldn’t lose what makes you unique. For example, I am a big foodie and traveler. D.P. is fully aware of random trips in the future, be it a day trip to Ireland or brunch in Shoreditch with the homies.

 

  1. Not everyone will understand:

This may come across really holier than thou, however that’s not my intention! I have found that not everyone will be able to be empathetic to your new found family life. Everything I do, or don’t do, will have a direct effect on D.P., be it good or bad & those that are single sometimes have no concept of this as they aren’t married.

 

  1. The importance of time together:

For D.P. and I this doesn’t always have to involve us going out somewhere. Some of my fondest moments over this past year involve just us talking over a cup of tea. Sidebar: We’re avid tea drinkers at the Powell residence!

 

  1. Through everything, the good and the bad you must smile, laugh and have fun:

One of the things I absolutely love about D.P. and I, is how we can literally talk for hours. I remember one time, before we were even engaged, D.P. came to see me early morning, round 10am. I can promise you that we didn’t watch any of the DVDs or even turn on the TV till six hours later! To my surprise it didn’t even feel like it was six hours, but like they say, “Time flies when you’re having fun!”.

 

  1. This last one is a little special as I asked D.P. to share one of the things he’s learnt whilst being married to me…. So one from the boys….Take a  trip down Memory Lane! 

There will be moments where present frustrations threaten to overwhelm your evening or even the following few days. Thus it is important to allow your mind to wander down memory lane – take a right to where your partner made you laugh last week, then a left to where they made that awesome dinner, then park up at one of the reasons why you love them…it is hard to stay frustrated when you’re thinking about the wonderful moments you have had – D.P.

 

For the married couples, what were the things that you learnt about yourselves and each other during your first year? 

For the single peeps, what do you expect to learn in your first year?

I would love to hear from you!

 

 

Until Next Time

Dee.x

 

cmypassion /

“Allow me to reintroduce myself….”

 

That's me!

 

The Introduction…

Hi my name is Denise & I’m a twenty something Londoner, who is passionate about living life to the fullest! I’ve always believed in the saying, “Feel the fear and do it anyway” – so that’s what I’m doing, taking the jump to do one of the things I love the most… Writing!

Five fun facts about me…

1. I once jumped out of a plane at 14,000 feet just for fun.

2. Fun fact number one was amazing & I would do it again just for the hell of it! Do you know any places in the UK I can do it?

3. I love music & you can probably find me singing to myself at all times of the day.

4. I used to be a dancer, but nowadays you won’t catch me breaking out into the running man. Well, that’s unless an 80s or 90s jam comes on a party (refers back to fun fact three).

5. If something scares me, I usually find a way to overcome it. This can be from making a career change to Skydiving (at 14,000 ft) – see what I did there?

 

Why the five year hiatus?

When I originally started blogging back in 2007, it was a means to showcase my writing skills and a way to decipher ‘my writing style’, as I was pursuing a journalism career at the time. I loved being able to find news stories & put my little twist on it.

Fast forward eight years, I no longer work in the journalism industry but my love for writing has always remained as an under current to anything I’ve done in my personal & professional life.

 

So what’s next?

This will be my space to converse with you all & share my deepest thoughts on some ground breaking topics but also light hearted banter. I’m really excited to get stuck in again and take you along this journey with me .

Until next time….

Dee.x