Land of Osbourne

Keeping your  Crohn's disease  under control can feel like a full-time job. That's because it is. Avoiding potential triggers can help prevent a flare-up. You may be doing things that are detrimental to your health. Do you know what they are? 1. Smoke Photo © hinnamsaisuy Smoking cigarettes  has a significant effect on Crohn's disease. The entire body is affected by smoking, including the digestive tract. Inhaled smoke enters the stomach and intestines as well as the lungs. Tobacco is a known digestive tract irritant that cause bloating, cramping, gas, and stomach rumbling. 2. Don't Drink Water Photo © Carmen Dirica If all you give your body all day is coffee and diet cola, you can't expect your digestive tract to treat you well. Water is essential to the good health of your entire body, as well helpful in preventing constipation and  replacing fluids lost from diarrhea . 3. Don't Exercise Photo © Ambro If you could spend 30 minutes a d...

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there; they serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become.  You never know who these people may be; your roommate, neighbor, professor, long-lost friend, lover or even a complete stranger who, when you lock eyes with them, you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way. Sometimes things happen to you and at the time they may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower or heart.  Everything happens for a reason.  Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck.  Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul.  Without these small tests - whether they are events, illnesse...

Here are 11 things we all need you to keep in mind… You never really know how much the people around you are hurting.   You could be standing next to someone who is completely broken inside and you wouldn’t even know it.  So never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.  And remember that there are two ways to spread light in this world: You can either be a flame of hope, or a mirror that reflects it.  Be one of the two every chance you get.   The most important trip you will likely take in life is meeting others half way.   You will achieve far more by working with people, rather than against them.  Giving someone else a voice, and showing them that their ideas matter, will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the both of you. Relationships don’t create happiness, they reflect it.  Happiness is an inside job .  Relationships are simply the mirrors of your happiness; they  reflect  it and help you  cel...

April vs Crohn's update - for my friends, family & loved ones:  I am no longer in remission. The disease is active again. The last test I had showed precancerous cells. The "plan" is to increase the remicade infusions from every 8 weeks to every 6 weeks. Then in 8-10 weeks have another more techy test to check out these cells. this explains why I've been so tired. Not tired like I need sleep or stayed up too late, but tired like physically tired, like I just ran a marathon.  

So I had that University of Minnesota colonscopy appointment. Awesome experience overall, very glad I went there instead of Minnesota Gastroenterology. 1 doctor was there STRICKLY to watch the monitor that showed the pictures from inside, 1 doctor was there to guide the scope, and 1 doctor was there just to watch my vitals.  All in all, it went okay. Not fun by any means of the imagination, but you know. Okay.  Anyway, I got the test results back on Monday night that I have Crohn's Disease (wooo, big surprise there), and that everything else was as expected. Great.  SO I know I have to make an appointment with the new doc to follow up after the appointment, but have been working lots of overtime, been busy, bla bla bla. I get a call from the main Doctor that did the monitor watching. I guess there was a type/error on the test results I got. There is an "Indefinate Dispasia" which is medical jargon for "strange cells we don't know what they are, we...

Greetings Land of Osbourne readers, I know you've all been dying to know how I am doing and how John is doing. I know you love the cool stuff I post here, uplifting, thought provoking stuff, but I know you also love the Osbourne updates. So here we go. I went to the University of Minnesota and had a colonoscopy for my yearly Crohn's check. First of all, may I say - what an awesome place. I use to go to Minnesota Gastroenterology - where I felt more like a number, where it seemed like they were more interested in quantity of patients, not quality of each person.  The U of M though - awesome. I had 3 doctors in the room with me during the procedure - one to JUST watch the monitor, one to watch my vitals, and one to guide the scope. They took 9 biopsies too check for cancer. (yay). I have to wait 2 weeks for THOSE results. I am pleased to announce that there IS a portion that is NORMAL. Yep. NORMAL. However the rest is riddled with disease, scar tissue and other fun stuff. The...

1.  Look at life as a journey and enjoy the ride.  Get the most out of the detours and realize they're sometimes necessary. 2.  Do your best, but if what you're doing has caused you discouragement, try a different approach.  Be passionate about the process, but don't be so attached to the outcome. 3.  Wish the best for everyone, with no personal strings attached.  Applaud someone else's win as much as you would your own. 4.  Trust that there's a divine plan, that we don't always know what's best for us.  A disappointment now could mean a victory later, so don't be disappointed.  There is usually a reason. 5.  Ask no more of yourself than the best that you can do, and be satisfied with that.  Be compassionate towards yourself as well as others.  Know your calling, your gift, and do it well. 6.  Don't worry about something after it's done; it's out of your hands then, too late, over!  Learn the lesson and mo...

Here are some simple suggestions for those who want to break free from the mold and truly live more of their life – to experience it and enjoy it to the fullest, instead of settling for a mere existence. Appreciate the great people and things in your life.  – Sometimes we don’t notice the things others do for us until they stop doing them.  Don’t be like that.  Be grateful for what you have, who loves you, and who cares for you.  You’ll never know how much they mean to you until the day they’re no longer beside you.  Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you.  Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it to live.   Ignore other people’s negativity.  – If you allow people to make more withdrawals than deposits in your life, you will be out of balance and in the negative before you know it.  Ignore unconstructive, hurtful commentary.  No one has the right to judge you. ...

To forgive is to rediscover the inner peace that at first you thought someone took away when they betrayed you. When the person you want to be with pushes you away, thank them for pointing you in the right direction. No matter what happens, no matter the outcome, you’re going to be just fine. Let things you can’t control, happen. Stop focusing on what you DON'T want in your life. The more you think about it, the more you affirm and attract what you fear into your everyday experiences. You become your own worst enemy. Letting go doesn't mean you forget the person completely, it just means that you find a way of surviving without them. The best days of your life will be the ones where you let your heart decide what to do. There are two ways to spread light in this world. You can either be the flame, or the mirror that reflects it.

I feel very strongly about this statement. People who have come and gone from my life made me realize how important or un-important I am.

True happiness comes from within, not from someone else.  Don’t make the mistake of waiting on someone or something to come along and make you happy. Don’t choose the one who is beautiful to the world, choose the one who makes your world beautiful. If you feel like your ship is sinking, it might be a good time to throw out the stuff that’s been weighing it down.  Let go of people who bring you down, and surround yourself with those who bring out the best in you. Just because it didn’t last forever, doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth your while. Say what you mean and mean what you say.  Don’t expect others to read your mind, and don’t play games with their heads and hearts.  Don’t tell half-truths and expect people to trust you when the full truth comes out.  Half-truths are no better than lies.  And don’t ignore someone you care about, because lack of concern hurts more than angry words. Lies help no one in the long run.  So… 1) Don’t say “I love you”...

There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it.  You surround yourself with people who make you laugh.  Forget the bad, and focus on the good.  Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't.  Life is too short to be anything but happy.  Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living. There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout: This is me damn it!  I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love!  I am a whole complex package.  Take me. . . or leave me. Accept me--or walk away!  Do not try to make me feel like less of a person, just because I don't fit your idea of who I should be and don't try to change me to fit your mold.  If I need to change, I alone will make that decision. When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad-- you will be amazed at the opportuniti...

Some people do things completely differently from the way you would do them.  It does not mean that they are right or that you are wrong.  It means that people are different.  There are things that people say which you would probably say in a different way, at a different time.  It does not mean that people are wrong to speak up, to speak out, or to speak their minds.  Nor does it mean that you are wrong for choosing not to do so.  It means that people are different. Different is not right or wrong.  It is a reality.  Differences become problems only when we choose to measure ourselves by our difference in an effort to determine who is right and who is wrong. It is not loving, healthy or necessary to make people wrong for what they do, what they say, or the way in which they do it or say it.  Nor is it self-affirming to feel wrong when you see things differently, do things in a different way or express a difference of opinion.  All...

There are many unfair things about having Crohn's but the most unfair is its uncanny sense of timing. Like a stalker that only hops out of the bushes until after you've tripped, Crohn’s knows when things are bad, and then makes them worse. The stress of the multiple situations I was embroiled in all trickled down to my guts and twisted them until nothing but pain was coming out of my butt. Making matters worse, I was not eating or sleeping properly and was drinking way too much coffee and soda which only took my already twisted guts and make elaborate balloon animals out of them. I knew the situation I was involved in had to end but the hard part about having a gut feeling is getting kicked in them. I imagine this pattern is true for everyone who suffers from a chronic illness, but speaking from experience, it's extra miserable ruminating upon a breakup or the death of a loved one while in the bathroom. By virtue the bathroom is a room only visited in short spurts. ...

To let go isn't to forget, not to think about, or ignore.  It doesn't leave feelings of anger, jealousy, or regret. Letting go isn't about winning or losing. It's not about pride and it's not about how you appear, and it's not obsessing or dwelling on the past. Letting go isn't blocking memories or thinking sad thoughts, and it doesn't leave emptiness, hurt, or sadness. It's not about giving in or giving up. Letting go isn't about loss and it's not about defeat. To let go is to cherish the memories, but to overcome and move on.   It is having an open mind and confidence in the future. Letting go is learning and experiencing and growing. To let go is to be thankful for the experiences that made you laugh, made you cry, and made you grow. It's about all that you have, all that you had, and all that you will soon gain. Letting go is having the courage to accept change, and the strength to keep moving. Letting go...

Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind. What we sow is what we reap. And when we choose actions that bring happiness and success to others, the fruit of our karma is happiness and success.  

So my car has this button that has Sirius XM Satellite Radio and I subscribed to it after getting a free trail. Channel 19 is ELVIS. This morning, 1st song that played as I pull out of the driveway? Marie's The Name (His Latest Flame) - man, its one of my all time favorite Elvis songs. I LOVE IT. What a great way to start the day. Love me my Elvis radio ! Thanks Sirius!

Accept Yourself Without self-acceptance, you will limit and block how much happiness, prosperity, love, and success you will enjoy.  The miracle of self-acceptance is that if you are willing to accept that happiness already exists in you, you will begin to experience more happiness around you. Follow Your Joy There is a world of difference between searching for happiness and following your joy.  Following your joy is about listening to your heart’s desires, noticing what truly inspires you, and recognizing your soul’s purpose.  A good starting point is to reflect on the question “When am I at my happiest?”   Choose Happiness Try to find the place in your mind where you have already decided how good today will be, how good this year will be, how good your life will be.  Are you happy with your decision?  Set a positive intention right now to let today be even more enjoyable than you thought it was going to be. Free Happiness A lot of hap...

I want to believe that the world is good I want to believe that there is more good than bad I want to believe that for every negative we hear on the news there are hundreds of positives I want to believe in humanity   I want to believe that there are good people I want to give people the benefit of the doubt and not be called naive for doing so I want to know that there are people who want to make a difference in other lives and do!! I want to know that there is a whole lot of Love in our World.

Have hope . Because it works wonders for those who have it. Be optimistic. Because people who expect things to turn out for the best often set the stage to receive a beautiful result. Count your blessings. Be inspired to climb your ladders and have some nice , long talks with your wishing stars. Be strong and patient , gentle and wise. Believe in happy endings. Because you are the author of the story of your life. Hope is not the closing of your eyes to the difficulty , the risk, or the failure. It is a trust that - if I fail now- I shall not faill forever ; and if I am hurt , I shall be healed. It is a trust that life is good , love is powerful , and the future is full of promise.

We always seem to want those things we don't have. Moreover, we are often convinced that if we had those things we want so badly, we would finally be happy. Singles who want to be in a relationship often believe once they are in one they will finally be happy. Those in shaky relationships hope their relationship will work out, because having worked it out will finally make them happy. "I will be happy when I am in love." "I will be happy when he/she does really loves me."  "I will be happy when I know he or she is committed to me."  "I will be happy when my husband/wife is more considerate."  Sound familiar? The truth is that happiness is an attitude. It's not something created by outside circumstances, but instead is completely within your control.  This means that you can be happy regardless of whether you are in a relationship or not.  You can be happy regardless of whether your relationship is working out or not.  If fact, if ...

Greetings Land of Osbourne audience, I figured I'd posted quite enough enlightening and uplifting food for thought type posts and would toss in some fluff for good measure. I know you love that stuff. I had surgery on my right knee on May 30th. Evidently I stopped breathing again. Strange how that happens when I am hospitalized. While helping me get dressed after surgery, John was having some trouble and he said to the nurse: "I guess I am better at getting her clothes off than putting them back on again" - LOL. Following surgery, Mom came and hung out with me and was my "step & fetch it" - Ozzy and Katie LOVED having their Grandma there. I had some issues with Cambridge Medical Center (again), and have now resolved to take my services elsewhere (as I should have done long ago - Heather was right);  John will also be taking his services elsewhere as well. Anyway, I was off work a week and a half - very boring - although I did purchase a used laptop s...

Begin telling the story of your desire, and then add to it the details of the positive aspects that you can find that match those desires. And then embellish your positive expectation by speculating with your good-feeling Wouldn't it be nice if . . . ? examples. You can say things like: Only good things come to me. . . I'll figure it out as I go along. . .. Every time you tell your better-feeling story, you will feel better and the details of your life will improve. The better it gets, the better it gets

"We are not saints; we are not heroes. Our lives are lived in the quiet corners of the ordinary. We build tiny hearth fires, sometimes barely strong enough to give off warmth. But to the person lost in the darkness, our tiny flame may be the road to safety, the path to salvation. It is not given to us to know who is lost in the darkness that surrounds us or even if our light is seen. We can only know that against even the smallest of lights, darkness cannot stand. A sailor lost at sea can be guided home by a single candle. A person lost in a wood can be led to safety by a flickering flame. It is not an issue of quality or intensity or purity. It is simply an issue of the presence of light." Whether you are the light or in need of illumination, may you experience the comfort of knowing you are never alone.

What I began to see over and over again was that when most of us get upset it is for one reason and one reason only. The universe is not behaving the way we believe it should behave. This could mean that we didn't get the raise we believed we were entitled too, so we become disappointed. If we had not expected a raise in the first place, however, we never would have been disappointed would we? It could also mean that someone does not treat us in a particular way that we believe we should be treated.  Or someone dies before we believe they should die. It can be as heavy as that. I am not saying it isn't sad, but at the same time it isn't our choice to say how long someone is to live, now is it? Those are our perceptions of what we want, of how we want the universe to behave. When we get disappointed, we never stop and think that it is our perceptions or beliefs that are wrong. We think it is the universe that is wrong because of how we feel personally! That is a pretty grand...

A dad is someone who wants to catch you before you fall but instead picks you up, brushes you off, and lets you try again. A dad is someone who wants to keep you from making mistakes but instead lets you find your own way, even though his heart breaks in silence when you get hurt. A dad is someone who holds you when you cry, scolds you when you break the rules, shines with pride when you succeed, and has faith in you even when you fail...

In life , there will inevitably be obstacles to encounter . But don't worry that they will seem too great for you to handle , because you can. You may doubt yourself at times , but know that if you have faith , you have everything. Faith is the key to being successful. If you know you're capable of anything because of who you are , you will always reach your destination. It may not always be easy, but it will always be worth it. Look ahead of you , never behind. Have faith in yourself. If you do, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Often people believe finding a mate who loves them will be the answer to everything missing in their life experience. They want to find that one person who will, in essence, complete them. And almost without exception, they want that person , right here, right now ! But because we understand the Law of Attraction as we do, we encourage them to easy up a bit on the ''right here, right now''part, for this very important reason: If you insist on choosing a mate right now,that mate will be a Vibrational Match to how you feel right now. The person who comes right now will be a match to the essence of the person you are right now. When you are feeling misunderstood or lonely or unloved, you cannot find a mate who will offer anything different to you. If you have predominantly been noticing the absence of a wonderful relationship , the presence of a wonderful relationship cannot occur. Not right now. If you are seeking a joyful relationship , you must become joyf...

Well my readers, its time for an April Update. (contain yourselves)  Back in 1999, as I was getting out of the passenger side of my Ford Ranger, my right knee suddenly totally went all wonky on me and I fell. Its like my knee went sideways. Wow, that hurt. I slapped an ace bandage on that thing and called it good. I did go to the doctor and was told that I was fine, no worries.  About 8-10 years later, it happened again - wow. Pain. Again, I went to the doctor and was told that I am okay. Nothing to worry about.   Fast forward to April 24th. I had been pretty consistantly been working out on my elliptical, but thought I'd mix things up a bit and try some jumping jacks and follow it up with some of the excercises I learned to stregthen my back.  Mistake.  My knee went all wonky again, only this time, I couldn't put weight on it at all anymore, it would totally not hold me up at all.  I went to the doctor, got a knee brace, then a MRI....

Life is not all bad, just as it is not all good. Life is about experience. And often our greatest experience comes from our hardest lessons. But this does not mean we should not enjoy the pleasures of this world. For they exist to ease our journey. Neither does it mean we should dwell in morbidity because all good things will end. Instead let us recognize that life is a flow. It cannot stop, speed up, slow down or reverse. Things constantly move on. Because that is evolution. It is only by the leaving of one room that we can enter the next. And if we do not progress, we cannot grow. And if we do not grow we have no purpose. So we must accept, and make the best. Some people have a tendency to resist the flow. To try to stand still. And to feel resentful when they find that all around has moved on. But trying to keep the moment is like grasping a butterfly. As your fingers close around it the fragile beauty is destroyed forever. Better to enjoy it while it settles upon your han...

Your inner strengths, your natural abilities and everyday skills are the gateway to a brighter future. Posted: 08 May 2012 04:12 AM PDT We are given everything we need to have the lives we want. It is within you, in your make-up, to be whoever you want to be. Maybe your mindset is driving you in such a way that you are repressing those wonderful gifts given to you as part of your creation. But I am here with GREAT news. They are there, and they are yours! All you have to do is unearth them and build something spectacular. Our talents and skills are part of our being.  In fact, each of us has a distinct set of tools that are our own.  And that’s why we were put on this planet – to share those talents and skills with the world! Turn off any self-talk that tells you that you are destined to live a small life.  You’re not. You have internal gifts (resourcefulness, energy, attitude, all sorts of positive attributes) and external gifts (food, water, nature, peopl...

My husband is a huge Star Wars fan, and I guess through the process of osmosis, I am too. In fact, he has an extensive collection of Star Wars action figures, ships, etc - all in the original package that we are currently selling on Amazon. (look up riviera41797 if you're interested in buying any, we'll be listing more soon). So today (or this weekend,) will be the perfect opportunity to watch some Star Wars. I bought the blue ray edition of Star Wars for John for Christmas, which we've yet to crack open yet. I think we should watch some. Probably not tonight though however, as tonight is SUPERNATURAL. Sorry Obi-one, Chewbacca, Luke & Han, but Jensen Ackles & Misha Collins are way hotter. Have a good weekend readers. -April-

Love what you have. We live in a disposable society. We buy things, use them and then throw them away. Our landfills continue to grow, despite no one wanting garbage in their own back yard. Meanwhile, debt is also growing.  People continue to spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need. We need to come back to reality.  We need to focus on growth in our bank accounts, not on growth in the landfills and growth in our debt. So what’s the solution? How can people grow their savings, while shrinking their garbage and depleting their debt? Love is the answer. We need to learn to appreciate what we already have.  We need to love what we have. If you love what you have, you don’t feel the need for more.  If you love what you have, you can easily say no when you’re bombarded with 3000 marketing messages to buy each day (as estimated by Doug Hall at  doughall.com ).  If you love what you have, you’re not going to throw something out once it gets a ...