Cordyceps, Dementia and Poopin'

My mom has been using Cordyceps for over a month now for her dementia. They absolutely work to keep the people and things away that are present only in her demented mind.

The question is, how much do you take? Good question.

For my mom and me it's been trial and error. Too much makes you need to live on the toilet and too little brings the people and things back.

My mom was tired of poopin' so we cut back on the Cordyceps for her. For my mom, she needs at least 4 a day to keep the people and things away. However, she also needs to be sure not to let out what she believes to be an innocent fart, because it will pack a suprise that will not be too pleasant.

Yesterday she only had 2 Cordyceps which stopped her poopin but brought back her hallucinations. This morning she told me about how she woke up at 2am hearing a crunch crunch sound and believed it was a mouse in the cats food dish. It ended up being her eye glass case.

This morning she told me that she wants the hallucinations to stop. She will take 2 Cordyceps with breakfast and 2 with lunch.

I'm beginning to wonder if the amount of carbs (simple ones like bread and pasta) that you eat with cordyceps determines if you have GI discomfort?

Proceed with Caution

Although Cordyceps are working superbly for my mom and me, they gave one of my sisters problems.

Of course I felt horrible that she got sick after taking the Cordyceps but I also wanted to understand why she got sick.

Before you take Cordyceps, if you are taking any pharma medications, especially hormone replacement, Cordyceps may not be right for you because it stimulates hormone production in the body.

Herbal remedies are strong medicine and we need to consult with a Naturopath doctor who understands how to use them, especially if you have a serious illness and are taking pharmaceutical medications.

I do recommend changing your diet as a start to restoring your good health. Take it in baby steps... gradually make the life style changes and the odds of the changes staying with you are much greater than if you jump in and make huge changes all at once.

Proceed with caution. Read and ask questions... get educated so that fear doesn't keep you from finding freedom from all that ails you!

It All Begins with You

The human body is a magnificent machine with lots of moving parts to keep it healthy. There are times when it gets sick and the body doesn't have what it needs to fight the illness.

In my opinion, this is why the Earth provides powerful medicines in super foods like mushrooms, herbs, vegetables and fruits.

I can remember thinking when I was a little girl and learning about the cave men times, how fortunate they were to know how to gather their medicines.

Medicine men and women always fascinated me. Unknown characters of days gone by who influenced me and helped me to follow a philosophy of "grow your own." It's cheaper, fun, rewarding and healthy.

I've been growing my own vegetables for a very long time. I grew up in the center of a big city with a 9 x 12 foot back yard that was hot topped. My mom had her cloths line strung from the house to the 6 foot chained link fence that enclosed our tiny back yard.

It was in this backyard where I learned how to figure skate. I remember building a little barrier with bricks that I gathered after a building in the neighborhood was torn down. I'd then take buckets of water out to the yard from the kitchen sink until I had what I called ice - even though it was really black ice that you'd see on a highway during and after a freezing rain storm. But to me, it was my own personal ice arena.

In summer, I turned my arena brick border into a border to hold dirt. In the dirt I grew flowers and vegetables from seed. The chained link fence was perfect for climbing beans and peas.

Growing my own was a fun hobby for a little kid, it opened my eyes to nature in a neighborhood that had a shoe factory as a neighbor.

My passion for food goes way back. Probably because eating was always an enjoyable experience. It still is.

Unfortunately, or maybe it's fortunate, who am I to judge myself.... I began to eat the wrong foods. I clipped coupons and thought I was "saving" money. I bought all the latest and prettiest boxed items on the shelf, from companies that could afford to pay big Marketing dollars to make subliminal suggestions to all it's victims (the general public.)

My mom too.

The news media began to push food products. If you watch any of the so called news channels they are always peddling something. They disguise the information as news but if you really pay attention and take your emotion out of the viewing experience, you'll see how we are all getting hypnotized into believing their products are the best products.

We are not hearing the real news. All we hear is the noise and the chatter to distract us from paying attention to what's really important.

Quick. Easy. What can we do fast? Hurry! Hurry up and Wait!

The world zips by. Rarely do people stop to talk to each other let alone prepare a healthy meal for themselves.

People have long commutes. They work long hours. When you get home you want to just eat whatever is easiest. The idea of cooking after a long day at the office and an equally frustrating commute home, is less than appealing.

I understand the problem. I lived it for many years. It's how I became out of shape and not so healthy.

There is hope however. It all starts with you.

Change your thinking about food. Bypass the processed boxed stuff and replace it with fresh vegetables. Invest in a crock pot, pressure cooker and bread machine. Make your own meals with all the best ingredients. Give yourself the best fuel and your body will be ready to respond.

Age is a state of mind. It's never too late to begin to care for yourself. My mom taught me this lesson. She also taught me that I can avoid her health problems if I make changes now.

Does cordyceps cure sleep apnea by melting away visceral fat?

Cordyceps is my new friend. I love this mushroom more and more every day.

It's been working awesome for my elderly mom with dementia. Her memory is improving every day. She can handle those simple tasks that were difficult for her just a few short weeks ago. My mom is smiling more and laughing at her favorite sitcom reruns. (never did I imagine that this would be music to my ears.)

For myself, I have begun to shed between a half pound and a pound EVERYDAY! My belly fat is melting before my eyes.

I read how Cordyceps attacks belly fat. It seemed like such a long shot. How could something that was good for your heart get rid of belly fat?

As I thought about it, it makes perfect sense. Those of us with an apple shape, we have visceral fat that is more than likely wrapping around our organs. It makes it hard for us to breath, especially when we are sleeping. I'm beginning to think that those of us with the apple shape either have sleep apnea or are borderline for having this horrible illness.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 2 years ago. The mask that I had to wear was awful. I tried every mask out there, all were awful. My mom was diagnosed with sleep apnea also, she used to snore so loud the windows shook in the house and then there would be an erie silence where she stopped breathing. My husband tells me I was the same way for a good stretch. He invested in ear plugs which our cat thinks are the greatest cat toy on the planet. I digress...

Since taking cordyceps, my belly fat and the fat around my chin and neck is melting and I've stopped snoring. I am sleeping through the night. My mom too.

Does cordyceps cure sleep apnea by melting away the visceral fat? If you ask me the answer is yes.

Cordyceps seems to be working wonders with the fat that I've been fighting to take off for years. I'm excited with my renewed spirit of good health for myself, my mom and my family.

People need to understand that there are alternatives to traditional medicine surgeries and medications, we all have the last say with what we want and don't want... we have free will.

My advice is to question everything, especially the "new pill"... it might make something fall off!

Naturopathic Medicine Needs to be Part of Our Healthcare Option!

After yesterdays disaster with the traditional cardiologist at a world renowned hospital, I knew that I needed to find my mom and me a Naturopathic Doctor.

I found several in our area and contacted one that had a good vibe with credentials to match.

During my research I discovered that in Massachusetts, Naturopath doctors can not order blood tests! I found this to be ridiculous on so many levels. As I read more, I found the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians website.

There was a form to send a letter to my state senators and congresswoman asking that Naturopathic Medicine be included in healthcare reform.

Here's my letter -

The use of naturopathic medicine is having a dramatic impact on the quality of people's lives, is significantly reducing reliance on the cost of chronic disease, and is a highly cost-effective way to keep people healthy. Yet, federal programs do not utilize the services of licensed naturopathic doctors, and to date, reform efforts would underutilize and/or exclude the services of millions of practitioners who provide primary prevention care.

Here is my personal story of improved health through naturopathic care.

Dear Senator and Congresswoman,

My mom was on her deathbed. She was on a dangerous cocktail of prescribed medicine. My mom was hallucinating, running through the house screaming in the middle of the night, frightened about a baby that she thought was in trouble.

It was scary for her and for me. The thought of putting her in a nursing home made me cry. Traditional doctors were not helping, they were making her worse.

My mom never gave up on me so I vowed not to give up on her. Together we got her off all the pharmaceuticals that were making her sick and hallucinating. She is 80, a diabetic and was on 61 units of synthetic insulin per day - but through diet, exercise and natural remedies of naturopathic medicine, she is now stronger and healthier than she's been in decades.

Her hallucinations are a thing of the past. Her memory is coming back and once again she's laughing out loud when she hears something funny. My mom has a 2nd chance at living and enjoying her new great grandson.

Regular medicine with the pharma drugs is not working. The secret to healthcare reform is to include naturopathic care, it works and it works very well to keeping my mom and me healthy.

The big pharmaceutical companies are poisoning us and slowly killing off the population all for the mighty dollar that they can squeeze out of all of us. Doctors appear to be in cahoots with the big pharmaceutical companies, they don't care about the patients (I have met a few docs that are awesome, but these true doctors are rare in the medical community.)

Please, look at naturopathic medicine as a solution, our people NEED this change!

The system need not rely solely on MDs and DOs to provide primary care.

Please support the inclusion of ALL licensed health care providers in health care reform.

Sincerely,

++++++++++++

Big pharmas and the insurance companies are in this for the money, they don't care about our health. When are we going to stand up as a united people and say ENOUGH and take control of our lives.

Traditional Doctors who give Doctors a bad name

Today we took my mom to her cardiologist. I have not liked this doctor from the very first time that I'd met him, mostly because he seemed more interested in pushing drugs on my elderly mom.

We have argued with this doctor about cholesterol lowering medications, the synthetic kind... the "hey, try this new pill!" kind of meds every time we've visited his office.

I do know that these statins make my mom feel sick; muscle aches and pains, they make her weak. I know that statins weaken muscle tissue. Every time I suggest to the cardiologist that the heart is a muscle, he tells me that the heart isn't a muscle. I always find this shocking, especially coming from a cardiologist!

I've reported in my blog how well my mom's been doing since she began to take Fenugreek and Cordyceps. Her cholesterol (LDL) came down from 197 to 141, her triglycerides came down from 294 to 148. Today, her cardiologist did not even comment on her significantly lower numbers, instead he told us that she needs to be on cholesterol medicine. He told us about a "new pill" that he wanted her to try.

We had gone through this 6 months ago, why does he think we'd change our minds and begin to take these drugs, when we've found a natural solution to the synthetic statins?

I felt myself losing my patience while I listened to this medical professional dribble on and on about cholesterol. He told my mom that she needs to bring her LDL down to 70 or lower!

I asked him why he wouldn't give the Fenugreek and Cordyceps a chance? He admittedly told me that he didn't know what these were... I called him on it. I asked him how he could make a judgment about a treatment that is clearly working when he doesn't know any facts about the remedies. I did give him abstracts about both, who knows if he will ever read them.

The doctor ignored me. He did turn red in the face, while he tried to wish me away.

He continued on and told my mom that she will have a heart attack if she doesn't take his drugs. He gave us an analogy about tires on a car that made no sense at all. This is when I just couldn't listen to him anymore.

I stood up and said, "Ma, I'm sorry I just can't listen to this doctor anymore, we really need to leave."

I then looked at the doctor and said, "Doctor, can't you see my mom is doing better than she was a year ago when she first came to see you?" He said, "In what respect?" Again I couldn't help myself as I said, "Geez Doctor, you sound like Sarah Palin, "In what respect Charlie?"

That's when the doc said he'd see us in a year... hmmm, will he?

Cordyceps and Dementia: My observations

The main reason I went in search of a natural dementia treatment for my mom was because the thought of putting her in a nursing home scared me.

It is scary as a caregiver to a parent when you begin to see them decline. The person who was always there for you, who always rooted you on when the going seemed to be the toughest, became someone that you didn't recognize.

Like most caregivers, my initial reaction to her mental decline was one of disbelief. You can't help but think this person is either lazy or just not trying hard enough.

What I've observed with my mom over the course of the last year is that she just couldn't remember much, she was out of it most of the time. She was seeing people and things that didn't exist, but she believed strongly that she really was seeing these people (and things.) She believed her hallucinations so much that one night she actually called the police to report a man in bed with her and that I was missing!

There is no reasoning or arguing with the demented mind. The power of belief is strong. Belief that is filled with emotion is a perfect recipe for someone with dementia to turn a mailbox on it's post into a little child.

I do not believe in the "new drugs" that the pharmaceutical companies keep producing and feeding people. People tend to put a lot of faith in their doctors, so when they say, "Here's a new pill, try it."... People try it.

What I have witnessed through my mom over the years is that each new drug that is prescribed and ingested by her caused her to need more "new" drugs. She was not getting well, she was becoming more ill. She was ready for a nursing home residency.

Logically, it does not make sense to me why doctors keep prescribing drugs that make people sicker than they were when they initially stepped into their office.

Naturally I turned to the internet to research what natural remedies are out there that would help a senior with dementia. Using my Boolean skills from my computer programming days, I found a potential solution, Cordyceps.

It's been just about a month since my mom began taking the mushroom capsules.

Yesterday she began to remember things, lots of stuff. She would say, "Susie, don't forget to...." Over and over, she kept remembering my to do list. My mom was so happy to remember, it felt good. She wasn't frustrated. She is beginning to become a better conversationalist. When I talk to her she understands for real and isn't just pretending to understand like she had been over the last year.

From what I can see with my mom, the Cordyceps are working not only for controlling her diabetes, it is absolutely helping her to reconnect all those synapses in her brain. Cordyceps seems to be cleaning up the plaque on her brain neurons; her memory is improving.

Today is a GREAT day! My mom is improving, she is moving forward like a child growing and getting stronger.

We love mushrooms, what a great food that is provided to us from the Earth.

Our Body is Our Temple

My mom's been doing really well with the Cordyceps and Fenugreek combination. Her blood tests results are phenomenal, showing that her A1C, the number that tells a doctor how bad your diabetes condition is... is now in a normal range for my mom, 5.6.

I'd say the main reason I've become obsessed with helping my mom (as well as myself and the rest of my family) is that I can't bear the thought of seeing her or any of my siblings in a nursing home.

I knew there had to be a solution for my mom. I believed that the body is amazing and can heal itself when given the right food medicine.

People by the cheapest shit food to ingest. A great pride is revealed by many in getting 3 for a dollar macaroni and fake cheese in a box. Mmmm they often say, this is good. My reply, "Really?"

Why is it that people will spend money on big flat screened TV's but when it comes to what they eat, cheap meat and poison in the card board boxes is good enough.

Good enough? Really?

No wonder people are sick and taking a plethora of pharmaceutical drugs to counter side effects of the variety of drugs.

Have you ever read a popular brand nutritional value chart on their bright pretty boxes? Do you know the ingredients? Are they organic? Does the ingredients show High Fructose Corn Syrup, or any corn ingredient for that matter? If so, you are setting yourself up for diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease.

For years I was like a lot of people, I'd go and buy the cheapest food that I could so that I could make ends meet. I found myself getting lazy and began to buy frozen prepared meals instead of cooking for myself. I began to get fatter and fatter until one day I didn't recognize myself in the mirror.

When I ate the crap food, I got fatter and fatter. All the artificial and so called natural health food in boxes was poison to my system. I felt lousy. I was obese. Everyone that I knew who was eating the same way, were also fat.

It makes me wonder if the drug companies and the corn farmers are in cahoots. Are the corn farmers selling the crappy food product which makes us sick so that we have to buy the new expensive drugs to treat the illnesses? Each new drug brings on new side effects which cause people to take more drugs until you are so damn sick you either die or end up in a nursing home destitute and broke.

Recently, I began to reflect on this and tried to find a reason why people like the easy way. It's not really our fault. Everything in nature will always take the path of least resistance. Same is true with all of us humans. None of us really like confrontation, not with people and definitely not with our bathroom scale.

Avoidance.

I've observed not only in my own life but also in others, if we avoid something and don't see it, then it doesn't exist. We can all run but we can never hide from our troubles, especially our health issues.

My brother Ed avoided his health issues and he died at 44. I know his health was bothering him but he was afraid to know what was wrong. Instead he avoided the doctor. Our sister Ann hounded him to get checked out. He finally made an appointment with a doctor. He died in a tragic white water rafting accident 2 days before he got to see the doctor.

Ed was heading for an early nursing home residency. He ate horribly, smoked, drank and was obese. His happiness quotient was very low, looking back, I now believe he was extremely depressed.

I learned from my brother Ed. I saw the importance of taking good care of myself and eating only the best food that I can buy. It's been 8 years since Ed left and for 8 years I've been focused on keeping myself in good health.

Our Bodies are our temples.

I believe that we all have a little God inside of us, it's what joins us all together as one species. It's important to take care of our bodies, it's our vehicle that will take us through life so that we can experience all the joys of living.

A strong body and mind will take us down roads that are lined with laughter and good times.

My personal goal in this lifetime is to keep myself healthy. It's sort of like the safety instructions we all get just before a plane takes off. "take care of yourself first and then you can help others."

I have also learned through my mom that it's never too late to begin to take care of yourself and restore your good health. My mom was really sick.

Our bodies can heal if we give it the best fuel. Cutting corners on what we put into our bodies is pretty stupid. It will end up costing you more money in the long run. Why not learn how to eat right?

Read labels. If they have more than 5 ingredients, especially ingredients that you can't read, don't buy it.

Make your own. Buy a bread machine. You can make your own bread and pasta that is healthy and delicious.

It may take a little bit for your taste buds to adjust to organic fresh foods, but once you kick the box habit, you will begin to crave vegetables.

When you shop for produce, avoid any fruit and vegetables that are conventionally grown. You can tell which ones are not good by the little sticker on the food.

If a sticker begins with a 3... not good - it has been genetically modified. The food may look beautiful, but it has no taste.

If a sticker begins with a 4... still not good. It was sprayed with pesticides - you will ingest them. Again, the food taste crappy.

However, look for a sticker that begins with a 9... this is organic. It may not look like a fairy land vegetable or fruit but the taste will make up for the smaller size and minor blemishes.

Our bodies are our temples, we need to take good care of them. Think about it... we will think nothing about putting the best gas in our vehicles, why not put the best food into our bodies?

Just like good gas in our cars keeps them running better and out of the garage, same is true for our bodies, feed it well and you will run for years with out seeing a doctor.

Yay! You Made It to 80!!!

It's been one whole year since the picture to the left was taken. Shown is my mom's 79th birthday. My childhood pen pal from Hawaii had come out to Boston to celebrate my wedding and while she was here, my mom had a birthday.

This morning I greeted my mom with a "Good morning... you made it to 80! I read a report, your chances of living another 10 years just went up!!!"

She started to laugh. I said, "So, how do you feel?"

My mom said, "Oh, I feel like a million bucks. If my legs didn't hurt, I'd be 100%. I'm about 80% and that is really good!"

Today, I'll take my mom anywhere she wants to go. Not much different than any other day of the year, but today she can say when she wants to go out and where our destination will be.

Today is Josie's birthday! Happy Birthday!!!

Growing Your Own - Getting off the pharma grid

My fenugreek is beginning to grow. I'm not sure how much space I'll need to grow enough for my family and me to consume for continued good health. But, the fenugreek is growing. I'm anxious to try and harvest my own seeds.

Since Cordyceps are such an awesome treatment addition for my mom, I'm beginning to research how I can grow my own.

With Cordyceps and Fenugreek, my mom could ultimately get off the Pharma-Grid!

Cordyceps are a Magic Mushroom for the Elderly

My mom's been taking Cordyceps mushrooms from Aloha Medicinals for a couple of weeks and I can already see a vast improvement in her mental state.

My mom smiles a lot more and is more social with the family that is living in our home. I can actually carry a conversation with her. In the not to distant past, my mom would look at you like she was listening but she couldn't follow along. Initially, it was frustrating. I thought she was just ignoring me or something.

It took me awhile to realize that my mom's dementia was getting worse. The thought of putting her in a nursing home kept me up at night. I did not want her to go to a home, I needed to find a solution that would allow her to be her old happy self.

My search helped me to discover Cordyceps. I am absolutely amazed with the results of this magnificent health food and how it seems to cure dementia in my elderly mom.

Cordyceps have given my family and me a second chance to enjoy our mom. It's possible for everyone with a parent who's demented to get them to rejoin your world.

From my personal experience, having my mom going from a demented state where she is screaming through the house about a baby being hurt or about "the man" being in bed with her, to my mom that I remembered all those years growing up. My mom is back... I can confide in her again.

In my opinion, Cordyceps are a magic mushroom for the demented elderly which will bring them back to life and out of a nursing home prison.

Lab Test Results

Today my mom and I went to visit Dr. Chong, her endocrinologist at Lahey. I couldn't wait to see him and learn about my mom's blood test results.

They are amazing! Fenugreek and Cordyceps absolutely helped her to lower her numbers across the board. This is definitely exciting.

Date A1C HDL LDL TRI

10/08 6.1 294

1/09 6.8 254 197 258

7/09 5.6 214 141 148

What a difference a day makes!

My mom was feeling pretty down in the dumps, I could tell by the look she carried on her face.

I've been working on her, attempting to get her to agree to go to a hairdresser because I knew it would do her a world of good.

Finally, she agreed to go to a new stylist that I found in town. I had gone the day before, she likes how he fixed my hair so it was easy to convince her to go.

Peter colored her hair mahogany, waxed her face and made her feel like a million bucks. Here she is immediately after her appointment. She will now go every Monday and get her senior discount. She's even going to use the senior ride service to pick her up and drop her off at home. This is a huge step for my mom's liberation from the demented mind which makes her believe that she can't do things on her own.

Understanding Dementia

It's absolutely clear to me that my mom has dementia. Somedays she's clear as a bell, other days she's whispering to me about "the people." Her eyes get wild, sort of like a dog who is out of control on a thought.

I've been limiting her carbohydrates and taking notes about what she eats, blood sugar, blood pressure and how much Cordyceps and Fenugreek extract she's taking.

Here's what I discovered about her mind and diet link through observation.

When I feed her a low glycemic diet, complex carbs (legumes), Cordyceps and fenugreek, she does not have any "visitors."

If she eats simple carbs, like store bought bread or pasta (organic, no preservatives), her sugar is regulated with the Cordyceps with blood glucose ranging between 90 and 120, she still "sees" people that are not there.

I began to wonder, what is she doing differently? My first thought is lack of exercise could be contributing to her problem where she wakes in the early morning hours and thinks that she's seeing "the man" or someone else.

Another observation that I made is if she is upset at all during the day and then goes to bed with out resolving the upset (which could be anything), a vision will appear. I'm trying to figure out who "the man" represents.

The night before last she had a visit from "the man" who she believed was murdered and tied up in a pillow case on the floor. It ended up being a big pillow that had fallen off her bed and onto the floor.

She gets frightened by these visitors. I've got to figure out how to keep them away or at least make it so the visitors are friendly visits.

Sometimes you wonder what Freud would say about my mom's visitors.

Cordyceps is Best Tonic and Natural Enhancement From Tibet

Cordyceps is Best Tonic and Natural Enhancement From Tibet

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Weekend in Maine with my "Maine" Family

Brian's been on vacation so we've been getting things done. Today he even commented that he crossed off EVERYTHING on his list and it's only Wednesday.

He's having a good vacation.

Me too.

This past weekend we went up to Maine to deliver my very first "adult" purchase 17 years ago. A solid white ash futon living room set. At the time I lived in this attic apartment and it was the only thing that I could fit up the stairwell.

The futon set served me well for a long time. It also stood the test of having a tenant in my brother's condo using it for a few months.

Just about every one I know has slept on it at least once. The futon set held lots of awesome memories. I could not get rid of it.

This weekend, my brother gave it back to me and Brian and I drove it up to Maine in the back of my pick up truck. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of Brian's packing job, but it was fabulous. We fit the entire thing, mattresses, tables, everything and drove it up to Maine for a 3 + hour drive. Wooo Hooo! The rain held up. We had sunny skies all the way up. The clouds were behind us.

My mom, we met my sister Donna at a point near her house up in Maine. The plan was to take the set up to Ann and Steve, set it up, have a few drinks, laughs, play music and enjoy seeing each other. I haven't seen Ann in ages. Boy, I missed you Ann... REALLY AWESOME to see you.

All went along to plan.

We got up to Ann's around 5pm. We unloaded the truck and then it soon started to rain. We made it up north and didn't have any rain hit us along the way. Yay!

I set the futon up while Brian and Steve played music in the basement while they drank whiskey. Oh, it was great! No one to step in and try to help. I've put the futon set together more times than I care to count. There's a way to do it really fast. I figured I'd show Ann and she could help so that it went along faster.

The futon living room set looks like it was made for Ann's house. It found it's permanent home.

We used Brian's metal detector in the old farm dump on Ann and Steve's property. We found a really cool kids die cast model of a 1920's fire truck. It looked like an early match box car. I didn't get a picture of the truck. I did get video of Brian using the machine.

To end our whirlwind tour to Maine, we stopped back at Donna and Brad's camp where we had a feast on Maine lobster. It was fabulous to see everyone, especially our Lil'Guns.

Here's a quick recap video that I put together to help us remember how lucky we are ("here comes the lucky speech") to have each other as family.