Heather Niewadomski's Blog (28)

There is an up-coming anniversary date next week that I cannot help but acknowledge. It is looming large before me and, I think, has been the catalyst for all my tears these past couple of days. Maybe if I talk about it, I can get past it. Who knows.

On Sunday, September the second, it will mark exactly one year since Chuck stepped out of his trucking job….permanently.

Trucking was what he did for basically the past 16…

Many of you know that I recently spent some time with three friends from my childhood. It was just a short visit, less than 24 hours, but the visit was more significant than I could imagine. One dear friend of mine spoke of it like this;

“…. you were with friends who could celebrate who you are as a person and give you affirmation at a significant transitional time in your life.”

I had been trying to…

Not long after Chuck died…I cannot remember if it was in the 3 days before the funeral or in the days following…I had been out for my run and I passed the place where I had first photographed him in his wheelchair. I thought about the day we were out for a walk and the image we captured with the camera.

I remembered that day so vividly. We were both happy and up-beat as he had anticipated getting the chair from a neighbor and we talked about how I would take him out for a ride in it.…

All the beautiful people here at RFR have been so overwhelmingly supportive to me as in these past six months I have dealt with the very difficult and heart breaking situation of nursing my sick husband right up to his departure from this earth on March the 8th. This note is to say thank you to all who have stood with me and prayed for me and encouraged me through it all. I have kept a journal with videos and photos and regular updates. 

Hopefully, from here on out, my posts and…

A Quick Word….

I really want to update this blog. There is so much on my heart and mind. So many things happen on a daily basis that they have begun to stack up and accumulate beyond what even I could have imagined. One day its rejoicing and being thankful for every little gift, then the next day it is fighting and warring to keep my head above water.

The changes that Chuck is going through are going way too fast for me and the end result…as has been his whole life…overkill. Only my adult children…

Many of you know of the struggles I have been enduring in dealing with my husband being ill. There are good days and there are bad days, to say the least. Many of you also know that I have turned to running, not only for my own health benefits, but more lately here to relieve stress…and….oh how well it works to do just that. BUT….how the heck can one relieve stress when you are stressed out about the very thing you are doing? Does not work very well…I’m here to tell you.

When I first…

UPDATE on Chuck’s Health

This afternoon at the doctor’s office, Chuck weighed in 10 pounds lighter than the last visit. It is hard to judge his actual weight because he still carries quite a bit of fluid, but the improvement over the last 30 days has been quite remarkable. In fact, the doctor was near to astonished when he saw Chuck walking into the office rather than being wheeled in a chair. He was very happy to see him looking so much better than the last time.

We…

I have always been one to thrive on structure and discipline. Without it, I am lost and agitated, to say the very least. Structure in my daily living schedule is imperative if I am going to feel productive and yes, (that horrible word) successful. Personal disciplines play a key role in getting things done and accomplishing the schedule that is laid out before me.

Does it sound like my life is perfectly ordered? Don’t worry…it is NOT. Does it sound like I am meticulous about certain…

FAMILY ♥

You know the old saying….

A picture is worth a thousand words…..

These photos…

Many of you know that I took up running as a part of my healthy new lifestyle. Along with eating a diet of almost 100% raw fruits and vegetables, I decided to exercise daily on more of an athletic scale rather than just recreational exercising. I chose cycling and running as my main avenues of movement for several reasons. Cycling is fun and I can get to places I need to be, transportation-wise. Running, on the other hand, is more of a personal challenge.

How many times over the years…

I started Sunday morning with a run. Normally, I wouldn’t run early on Sunday, usually I do a bit of a bike ride sometime in the afternoon on this day. I knew I was going into the city with Chuck, so I decided to run despite the cool temperature outside. It felt good to be out there after taking a rest day the day before. I had been feeling a lot of pent-up emotions and frustrations as was evidenced in my previous post. Running always helps me to…

Daily life for me has become rather macabre and surreal of late.

Since the time my husband stopped working due to his progressive liver deterioration, it has been as though I stepped into the Twilight Zone…literally.

I am learning what a fine line there is between believing and staying positive and simply accepting reality. It is a daily tightrope that I dread to walk. But walk it I must and it is wreaking havoc on my stamina and my nerves.

I do well as long as it…

DAY ONE HUNDRED THIRTY SEVEN

I have neglected to update this blog for the entire month of August, so I thought I might do just that before it completely slips away.

The raw vegan lifestyle continues to dominate my every waking moment, from exercise to food decisions and all the energy, motivation and joy one could possibly imagine. I can truthfully say, I am a new person. Not to say I don’t have my moments of temptation and the down swings when circumstances are not ideal.…

Any woman who has had a child knows that pregnancy, though it can be grievous at times or joyous, it is definitely a time to really get to know your body and how it works. It is one of THE most physical experiences a woman can endure. Any female athlete will tell you that child birth is top of the list when it comes to endurance of pain and reaching that finish line.

“So Heather….are you pregnant??”

Yes

….wait…NO…ha ha NO!!! Just kidding!

Having begun a…

One more day marks 90 days RAW!! I suppose I should wait until tomorrow to post but, what the heck…I’m gonna post today.

So I was listening to a popular fruitarian and he stated that once you hit 90 days raw, you have basically got the food cravings licked. Well, I’m here to tell you that I have to agree. I think I had it licked a while back or else I might not have made it this far. I have to laugh…yesterday, I had my son and his girl here and a friend of theirs. I set out a…

 I am getting full on less food!!

In the beginning, I was taking huge salads and wanting seconds.

Then I noticed, over time, that the one huge salad was over stuffing me.

NOW...I cannot get through Half of it without feeling full!!!

Is this the result of being truly nourished???

Please share your experiences here!!

I am amazed with this! The cost of eating is going to be awfully low at the rate I am going!! :) :) :)