Love For Ashley

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 07:54:00 +0000

Okay so I made you wait a couple years. I promise I will try to get better at this. Now to help you catch up on what happened in 2018, 2019 and so far in 2020.

Let's see...this might be a very short post at least for the years 2018 and 2019.

2018

In 2018, Brad graduated from the Univeristy of Alabama with a BS Degree in Economics and Philosphy in May. He is still dating his high school sweetheart, McKenzie, there is talk of marriage. After graduation, Brad got a job with Reuters as part of their Graduate Leadership Program. Then the division of Reuters that Brad worked for became Refinitiv. He lived in NYC for about six weeks for training and then lived in Chicago for about 9 months before they transferred him to Houston to work as a Customer Success Manager in Commodities and Energy. McKenzie also graduated with a BS in Pharmacy but continued with her graduate studies.

Ashley is a Junior in college and she is doing well academically and heath wise. We finally bought Ashley a car since she will now have clinicals in various hospitals from West Palm Beach, Florida to Miami, Florida plus she wanted to get a job. College is taking a toll on her mentally. I am finding myself driving to Boca Raton just to help her cope. Let's just say Nursing School is not easy at all. Although Ashley's liver disease was stable, she got Strep Throat at least 5 times. I firmly believe that the stress of Nursing School made her sicker than her liver disease did. Ashley did start working and was still able to maintain her great grades. Her goal at this point in college is to graduate with honors and find a job in Labor and Delivery.

As for me, I left my old brokerage in August 2018 and started working for Keller Williams Advantage Realty in Oviedo, FL. This turned out to the best move for my real estate career. I am not a full-time agent, I work part-time but I have an extremely flexible schedule and I am available to my buyers and sellers pretty much 24/7. My first year with Keller Williams, I sold 10 homes. I know 10 homes isn't a lot but I am only part-time. I love what I do, I don't want to ever be to busy that I can't be there for my buyers and seller, I don't want pass them off to an assistant, or TC, I want them to feel confident that I will be with them every step of the way. So if you know anyone looking to buy or sell any where, I have a great referral network. However, if you are looking to buy or sell in the central Florida area, please reach out. I got you!

2019

Brad is in Houston, still loving his job, still with McKenzie. They got engaged in July and are planning an August 2020 wedding.

Ashley is now a Senior in College and is looking forward to graduation...she can't wait, she is over studying...lack of sleep...cramped dorms...but mostly she is over studying. Her favorite part of Nursing School is her clinical rotations..it's where she sees her future. Ashley's liver is stable and happy. Her blood work has been normal or close to normal for many years now. Her platelet count is low but not terribly low, it averages about 115. Ashley is taking care of her own health and scheduling her own doctors appointments one hundred percent of the time.

Joey and I are still working at our jobs, him with the US Navy and me as a Realtor with Keller Williams. Life is grand.

2020

A lot has happend this year so far. Personally, it has been one of the busiest years for our family. Let's see my production with KW started off well. I had many people lined up in my sales pipeline but unfortunately the Pandemic stopped everything. However, I was able to find and close on a house for one of my buyers before things started closing down. Although real estate was considered essential, I choose not to work to stay healthy and to keep my family healthy since we had 4 family weddings to go to this year and two college graduations. COVID was not going to stop us from living. We quarantined but we were still very positive about all of the celebrations happening this year.

Well COVID screwed Ashley out of a proper graduation and McKenzie as well. Both girls had to finish the last 3 months of college online. However, they did graduate. Ashley graduated Cum Laude and received her BSRN and she passed the Nursing Boards to obtain her Multistate License. McKenzie received a Masters in Business Administration and she also got a Doctorate in Pharmacy. I am so proud of these girls; they both worked so hard.

Before I continue...Ashley's disease is still very stable.

Over the summer, we were supposed to attend my nephew, Austin's wedding, but they had to postpone their wedding until November 2021. My other nephew, Chris, was also supposed to get married but they ended up eloping in April due to Covid.

Brad and McKenzie got married in Birmingham, Alabama on August 29 and had a big wedding despite Covid and now they are living in The Woodlands, Texas. McKenzie is a licensed Pharmacist in Texas and is currently looking for work.

My nephew, DJ, got married October 3. See I told you we had a lot going on personally not to mention we went apartment hunting for Ashley, moved Brad and McKenzie into their new apartment before they got married, went to bridal showers, etc. It's been crazy! I was gone one week out of every month since July...crazy! Don't worry people, I wore a mask and followed the CDC guidelines but honesly life doesn't stop because there is a pandemic.

Ashley started applying for jobs and had several job interviews but finally accepted a job at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is a Nurse in their Transplant and Surgery Unit. We moved Ashley to Nashville at the beginning of October and she started working on October 19. We know she will be in Nashville a mininum of two years but she also plans to go to graduate school at Vandy in probably 2022. She is looking at their RN to DNP path as well as Nurse Midwifery/Family Practitioner Dual Program. So she might be in Nashville until 2025 and beyond. This girl has goals, and I believe she will reach everyone of them.

I finally decided to get back to work and try to sell some more houses. Many of my customers have lost their jobs because of Covid but they have not lost hope and plan to purchase a home in 2021. However, I have been getting a lot of referrals and sold a house recently and my listing is currently under contract. I have buyer that is looking to buy new construction before the end of the year. My goal is to sell one or two houses a month through my anniversary date with KW which is August 1. I know I can do it and referrals help a great deal. I am not a Realtor who cold calls, or door knocks unless it's around my listings, open house or when I have sold a home.

Now that our house is empty...no kids living at home. I am creating projects for myself. We have turned Brad's room into our quest room, Ashley's room is our home gym, the living room will become an office. I am painting walls, furniture and seriously changing the color scheme and look of the interior. I am really looking forward to updating our house. We are not ready to sell or downsize besides our house will paid off very very soon. Change is good and 2020 seems to be the year of change in every way imaginable.

Hopefully we can finish 2020 better than we started it. Stay healthy everyone and I'll see ya next year. Unless of course you want to buy or sell house with me now.....

A Lot Can Happen in Five Years

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 07:41:00 +0000

You might be wondering why we have not updated this blog over the last five years. I wish I could tell you something exciting, like Ashley got a liver transplant, or our computer got stolen and we just got it back. But unfortunately, the only story I got for ya is life got in the way...and I totally forgot the log in information for this blog. It took me forever to find it, using yahoo...google...and other means I was finally able to log in again. With that said, now I can update ya'll on what has happened since my last post in February 2013. I don't want to bore you, so I will keep it short by just highlighting each year since the last post. Here it goes...

2013 - was a not so good year for our family, loosing our family dog, Ashley liver disease keeping us on our toes. However, despite the sadness, Ashley continued to dance for her High School dance team, the Seminole Dazzlers, and Brad continued playing baseball for Seminole High as well. Brad also started dating a beautiful girl named McKenzie and he experienced his first prom. McKenzie and Brad met in sixth grade and were good friends for a very long time. They went to each other's birthday parties and had many of the same circle of friends. Just for a recap, at this point Ashley is a Freshman in high school and Brad is a Junior. With Brad getting closer to graduating from high school, the college search began. He was focused on the U.S. Naval Academy and went to their Baseball Camp in the summer of 2013. By the end of the year, Brad had applied to about 7 schools, and was accepted to all but one and he received scholarships from all. By the end of 2013, it was decision time. So what college did he choose, read on to find out. As for me, I went back to work full-time working for a property management company in Winter Park, Florida and my husband I celebrated 23 years of marriage.

2014 - Ashley's health is still stable...we continued to monitor her liver and blood work every couple months. She still traveled to Shands Hospital every 6 months. But her beloved doctor, Dr. Joel Andres, was close to retirement so she started seeing a new doc who was trained by Dr. A. However, because of our close relationship with Dr. A., he continued to monitor her when he was available and we still communicated via email. It's hard letting go of a doctor who has cared for your daughter since she was born. Ashley is now a Sophomore in high school and is doing amazingly well with academics and is still on the high school dance team. Her dance team went to New York to audition for America's Got Talent. They had a brief cameo on the show but because of school commitments they did not continue with the show.

Brad is now a Senior and focusing much more on his academics while trying to spread his wings...he was preparing his mom for what was to come. In May, Brad graduated Magna Cum Laude and received a Presidential Scholarship from the University of Alabama. Now you know. Brad decided to go to the school that have been cheering for since my family moved from California to Alabama in 1972. ROLL TIDE YA'LL!

2015 - This beginning of this year was one of the worst years on record for our little family. In late January, I rushed Ashley to the ER for severe abdominal pain...we didn't know if it was her liver or a appendicitis. It was scary but my girl has a high tolerance for pain and walked on her own into the ER. Several hours of waiting, blood work, ultrasound and doctors, it was discovered that Ashley had Ovarian Torsion and she needed immediate surgery. By the middle of February, Ashley would have two surgeries, received a new diagnosis of mild endometrosis and learned that she had moderate to severe cirrhosis caused by her freaking liver disease, biliary atresia. We actually got to see pictures of her liver. I will post later pictures later. Also, after Ashley's second surgery and while she was recovering, we had to put down our beloved RagaMuffin cat, Skylar. Skylar was almost 12 years old and died of cancer and a heart murmur.

In the first half of the year, Brad was finishing up his Freshman year at Alabama. He made some academic mistakes during his first semester of college and corrected them by his second semester of college. He got a job working as an official for the University of Alabama Intramural Department and he and his girlfriend, McKenzie, were still dating. (McKenzie graduated high school in 2014 as well and ended up going to Samford University, just an hour away from where Brad was attending college). By the end of 2015, Brad decided to double major in Economics and Philosophy with a minor in math. At this point, his dad and I are trying to figure what he is going to be when he grows up

Brad dove into college life without joining a fraternity. He became part of the Pre-Law Club and Model UN (Brad did Model UN in high school as well). He was part of the Honors College and the Emerging Scholars Program. He volunteered by helping low income families prepare their taxes and he, of course, became a huge Alabama Football Fan. As much as I hated that he was 10 hours away, I was excited to hear about his new life in college.

Joey and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary by going on a Cruise...and we even left the kids alone for the first time ever for more than one night. Thankfully, we have great kids and came home to a clean house and no drama. We also came back to two new additions to our household. Ashley brought to kittens home from her trip to the beach with the excuse that she found them...but later I found out that she drove to the beach specifically to pick them up, hoping that her dad and I would say yes to keeping them. Of course, we did..and now we have three cats in our house, Blaze (boy tabby), Sailor and Piper. Sailor and Piper are sisters and are torties. I will post pictures of them later too.

Oh yes, almost forgot...Ashley got her first car for her 17th birthday.

2016 - What an exciting year for Ashley. She is now a Senior in high school and doing fantastic. She applied to about 7 colleges at the end of 2015. Ashley's dance team went to Texas for their National Championship and of course came in first in every style of dance. She attended her first prom and looked beautiful, I 'll post a picture later. It was during her Senior year that she decided that she wanted to be a nurse. She specifically wanted to be nurse for the CIA. Now that she made a career decision, we decided to visit several colleges. Ashley starting applying for colleges at the end of 2015 but we didn't decide on a school until early 2016. Ashley's top choice was the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB). UAB admitted her into their Freshman Direct Nursing Program and offered her a nice scholarship. The University of Alabama also accepted Ashley as a student for Fall 2016 and a scholarship as well. Our local school University of Central Florida came through with an offer and acceptance as did Florida Gulf Coast University, and Adventist University. Ashley applied at the University of Florida which was also her top choice due to the close proximity to home and her liver team. UF did not accept Ashley...thank goodness...no football conflicts in our house. Ultimately, we all agreed that the best school for Ashley was Florida Atlantic University. FAU accepted Ashley into their Freshman Direct Nursing Program with a very small scholarship. Now that we had a decision on where she would attend college, we prepared ourselves for her high school graduation. In May, Ashley graduated Cum Laude (.07 away from graduating Magna Cum Laude).

The summer after graduation, Ashley worked as a nanny for a family of three young kids, one of the children has special needs. Ashley loved every minute of her time with Cole, Anabelle and Luke. The family loved her so much they tried to talk her into not moving away for college. Oh and they were Alabama fans too!

Ashley totals her new car while driving in a torrential downpour and she didn't see the tail lights on the car in front of her stopped at an intersection. She was very upset at herself but thankfully she or friends were not hurt at all in the accident...just messed up the car and it cost more to repair than the car was worth. She started college without a car.

By the end of 2016, Ashley had completed her first semester of college with all A's and B's. She tried to do the sorority thing and being an ADpi and Phi Mu were her top choices. However, on the day the girls were to receive their bids, Ashley freaked out. She was afraid that the sorority would take her away from her studies and she really wanted to focus on academics. Ashley first year college roommates were awesome and they became fast friends; they were all in the nursing program as well.

I am still working in property management. At this point have had my real estate license for two years, been promoted and received at least a half dozen raises...but I was not happy with what I was doing. Not sure why I wasn't happy, I just continued to focus on work and my kids. Oh and Joey too.

2017 - Oh my goodness...I am almost caught up. Let's see 2017 started of well but ended with some drama.

Ashley and Brad continued to amazingly well in school...one better than the other but we won't go into that here. Ashley's health is stable. a. Ashley is still on path to become a nurse. Fall 2017, she was on the Dean's list at FAU. Ashley decided to run for student council by becoming a member of the House of Representatives. She is still loving college, her friends and even applied for a job at the local hospital. (She didn't get that job because they could not work around her classes). Ashley volunteered to be a shelter nurse during a Hurricane at one of the local high schools near her college and she went on her first medical mission trip to the Bahamas. During her medical mission trip, she visited a local children's ward, was able to view an autopsy, give blood pressure and glucose readings to the locals and help as Christmas party to some the local kids. I think she also painted an orphanage. She so enjoyed the experience, that she immediately decided she wanted to do it again.

In July 2017, just one week before Ashley's 19th birthday, Joey was in a very bad one car accident that totaled his car but by some miracle, he survived. He was in the hospital for a few days...he had five broken or cracked ribs, lacerations on his chin, elbow and hand, a very badly bruised him and broken ankle and heel. He needed surgery to repair the ankle and heel. He was not able to walk or drive for about 3 months so he was not able to work. So now with Joey's car gone, Ashley car gone, and Brad is Tuscaloosa...we became a one car family. But I was happy Joey was alive and thank God every day for saving his life.

By Christmastime, we learned that Joey's mom was dealing the end stages of Alzheimers, and the family had to make a tough decision to move her into a nursing home. It was hard seeing my mother-in-law in the state that she was in...she had no memory of us and she looked so frail. When we visited her, she thought Joey was a boyfriend, and as she is hugging Joey, Joey introduces me to her as his wife and she immediately lets go of him and says I am sorry while looking at me. It was cute, funny and sad all at the same time. Ashley was so kind a gentle with her...she thought Ashley was her nurse. Maybe my mother-in-law remembered more than we thought.

As for me...I quit my property management job in June and decided to become a full time real estate agent. I assisted my new broker, Emma Reichert, with the sale of a house and I sold my first house in August. I love being in Real Estate. I love the flexibility and meeting new people. But more than anything I love helping first time home buyers find a home. I am not making much money...yet. But I am happy. So if you move to Central Florida and need a Realtor, look me up. I currently work for a small boutique company located in Oviedo, Florida called ER Real Estate Group.

Next up....2018. You will have to wait for that update. Don't worry I won't make you wait 5 years. Just a day or two. And I promise I will share some pictures as well.

It's been a while. Did you know...

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 04:09:00 +0000

that Ashley was in the hospital after Thanksgiving and before Christmas? She had a bleed. She has varices. Just a little reminder that she is not healthy and has a life threatening liver disease.

that we lost our beloved beautiful puppy, Sarge, on January 2. It was sudden, shocking, and sad. We think he had leukemia based on his symptoms. Not sure if we will ever get another dog. Sarge was one of a kind and a perfect fit for our laid back, drama free family.

that Ashley made the Principal's Honor Roll her 1st Semester of high school while taking all honors courses. She is beautiful and smart.

that Ashley is still dancing for her high school dance team minus a solo this year. She loves being part of the team but really misses competing in her favorite style of dance, lyrical/contemporary.

that after a couple years of not having a dance studio to call home. We think we may have finally found just the place. Maybe someday Ashley will compete on a stage again and not a gym floor.

that despite the way Ashley looks on the outside, she is still a sick girl on the inside. We like to live in denial so it's okay if you don't want to think of Ashley as being sick. Ashley doesn't even see herself as sick. As a matter of fact, I heard a conversation Ashley was having with a new friend. She told this friend that she has a liver disease and will need a liver transplant and can't ever have alcohol or do drugs. This boy told her she was very brave. Ashley responded with thanks, nbd (no big deal). So to Ashley her liver disease is no big deal or maybe living with her liver disease is no big deal.

I love her attitude. Until next time, it's nbd.

Things are not always what the seem

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:38:00 +0000

My life has been absolutely crazy lately with the start of school, Ashley's after school dance practices and performances and now Brad's Fall baseball practice and games I so apologize for not giving my readers an update on the goings on with Ashley. For the most part Ashley is doing fantastically well despite her liver disease and in spite of her liver disease. I can't remember if I posted about her last visit to Shands so I apologize in advance if this is a repeat.

As you know Ashley's platelet count has been dropping, well then it will be no surprise to you to learn that her platelet count is still low and even lower than her last report. What will be surprising is that her liver functions seem to be elevating evermore slightly with each lab draw. We aren't sure why. Which is pretty funny. Of course we know why...the kid has liver disease. Really. Anyway. Ashley liver doctor was having knee surgery during our visit to Shands and when her lab results came in he was home recuperating. You know it is pretty serious when the doc calls you from home on his personal cell phone to express his concerns with the latest lab reports. Of course, I love denial so I am not worried. But we are working on a new medicine regimen then she will have blood work repeated in a month. If that doesn't work, we will increase the dosage on her meds. If that doesn't work...we are back to the drawing board, the guessing game...denial.

Here is praying that her liver functions return to normal in just one month's time.

Now onto something more positive...DANCE. Ashley loves dancing on her high school dance team. Although she misses competing and studio dance. Unfortunately, we have pretty much limited her dancing to her high school dance team because studio dance is so freaking expensive. We are still hoping, praying...that Ashley will be able to perform a solo for the competitions that her high school dance team attends but that requires money that we just don't have right now. Maybe just maybe that money will fall from the sky....grow on a tree in our back yard...maybe we will win the lotto or better yet, maybe it will show up in our mailbox. One can only dream.

I will post pictures of Ashley and her Dazzler friends that I have taken in the past few weeks. These are a great group of girls. Ashley is very privileged to be a part of this group.

Until next time...pray that Ashley's next lab results improve and that we have an uneventful rest of the year regarding Ashley's health. God Bless!

Become a Sponsor

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:26:00 +0000

Now that Ashley is on the high school dance team she is required to get a minimum of $175 in sponsorship money. Below is the Sponsorship letter explaining more. Our first $175 in Sponsorship money is due by May 30. Please consider sponsoring Ashley.

DO NOT USE PAYPAL TO DONATE. Please write the check out to SHS Dazzlers, and put Ashley Johansen in the memo section of the check. Make sure you include a return address so that we can send a "Giving Receipt." Thank you.

If you have any questions, please email Laurie@cfl.rr.com.

Dear Sponsor,

As you know Ashley made the 2012/2013 Dazzler Dance Team of Seminole High School. The Dazzlers are a five time UDA National High Kick Champion as well as a two time MA National Champions for both JV and Varsity. And just this past season they won the FDTDA State Championships in both JV and Varsity in ALL dance divisions. This is their ninth consecutive year winning that title.

Every year, the Dazzlers proudly perform at the Seminole High football games during half time with our band. We have also performed for the Dancing for Diabetes show, Arts Alive, the Sanford Christmas Parade and the Disney Christmas Parade. This past year, we performed in the opening ceremonies for ICU held at Disney's Wild World of Sports and in the Disney Christmas Parade with the Shake It Up stars. Several of our dancers were featured in the televised Capital One Bowl half-time show and many of the Dazzlers have traveled to New York City to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

In order to supply this year's dance team of on hundred members with all the necessary equipment, such as costumes, props, music, entry fees, transportation, and backdrops,we continually fundraise. Part of the requirement of being a Dazzler is working concession stands at UCF games and the UCF Arena. And each member is required to work a certain number of events each month. They also work many athletic evens at Seminole and the traditional school fundraisers such as car washes, donut sales, car washes, and Domino's Pizza Card sales. This is in addition to after school rehearsals, Saturday rehearsals, many performances and competitions.

However, even working the events listed above, we still must turn to the community, friends, and family for help in raising funds. Your tax-deductible donation will go a long way in helping these girls remain National Champions. As our way of saying thank you, your name or the name of your company will be printed in the SHS football program, and in the Dazzler Review program.

Thank you for sponsoring a Dazzler for the 2012/2013 school year. Your donation will be used to help Ashley achieve her goals during her performances with the Dazzlers this season.

Some Things

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:46:00 +0000

NO SURGERY. Yes, you got it Brad does not need surgery on his elbow. The MRI results showed no tears, breaks, pulls....no injury at all. We are so happy about this especially since this surgery would have cost us $6,000 out of pocket. Brad needs rehab to build strength. He is working on pitching exercises provided by a sports trainer. Currently, Brad is not playing baseball although he been asked to play with several travel ball teams. We are looking at the possibility of hiring a pitching coach. I know Brad is happy that he now has a good chance to get on the varsity baseball team next spring since he has no injury.

I have been sick off and on for the last few weeks which is the reason for the lack of updates. We have plenty of reasons to update. Like, Ashley quit dance. Not really. But kind of.

Ashley finished her last year competing in dance a couple Sunday's ago. As stated before, this year in dance has not been what we hoped for. Ashley has not been happy. Except for the fact that she loves her dance teacher and choreographer of her solos, Ms. Alexis Underwood, this year in dance has in Ashley's words, "sucked."

Ashley did end her competitive dance year with a 4th overall (out of approximately 25 other 13-15 year old soloist). She is very happy she ended the year on a positive. But now she is on to something new but the same...kind of.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE. Ashley was accepted on the Nationally ranked Seminole High School Dazzler Dance Team. She was also invited to audition for the Varsity team. The chances of her getting on Varisty is pretty slim as there are even more talented dancers then Ashley. However, Ashley is going to give it her best shot. If anything she will learn from it and be better for it next year.

We are excited about this new part of Ashley's dance life. And you can be a part of it too, just check back tomorrow to see how.

Update on Brad

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:50:00 +0000

Brad went to Jewet Orthopedic yesterday, the good news is he has no broken bones in his elbow. We are waiting for approval from our insurance company for an MRI. Once that is done we should have a better idea if he has UCL tear in his elbow and if he will need "Tommy John" surgery. Brad only has about three weeks free on his calendar for surgery. If surgery is needed Brad wants to have it done ASAP. However, with FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test), AP exams and End-of-Course exams, scheduling this surgery may be difficult. Plus he is scheduled to take the ACT test just after the last day of school which is May 31. This should be fun...Not.

Pop Goes the....

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:36:00 +0000

Pop Goes the ~~Weasel~~ Elbow.

When you are a dancer your most feared injury might be a broken or sprained ankle. But when you are a baseball player especially a pitcher, your most feared injury is that of the elbow. We are experiencing that fear now. Brad's elbow popped during baseball practice yesterday. He was accessed by the high school's athletic trainer and he suspects that Brad may have a torn UCL (Ulnar Colleteral Ligament). Right now he is at Jewet Orthopedic being evaluated. If the tear is severe he will need surgery, which means he will not be playing baseball for 9 months to a year. And it also means he will be going through intense physical therapy.

Oh boy, more medical bills (said with all the sarcasm I can muster).

Brad is handling all of this well. We are looking at the positive side of things. We are blessed that this injury occured with only two games left in the baseball season. He is lucky that there is only 6 weeks left in school, if he needs surgery most of the rehabilitation will take place during the summer and he should be back to playing baseball for the Spring 2013 season. And as Brad says, the biggest benefit of having surgery, he will be back to playing baseball/pitching at 110% instead of just 80% without surgery. I love it when he thinks about the positive side of things.

Personally, I am tired of all the medical drama. Just two months ago my husband was in the hospital for a couple of days because a cat bit him and had a severe infection in his right wrist that was spreading up his arm. We are still trying to pay off those medical bills. Oh and Ashley got bit by the same cat, but thankfully avoided hospitalization but was placed on two antibiotics to fight off the infection. I am ready for the medical side of life to calm down but I know that it will not especially since Little Miss Ashley has a chronic life threatening liver disease.

I will keep you updated on Brad and is elbow.

Dance Update

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:50:00 +0000

First, I had no idea that Ashley hijacked her blog, sorry. She is such a good little dancer, and good girl. I guess she is paying way to close attention to her dad and I when we ~~talk~~ argue about the cost of dance. Also, I do want to thank everyone who helped us, we didn't receive a lot of donations but every little bit helped. Thank you so much. With your donations plus our funds, all of her competitive dance is paid for, rehearsals, competition fees, etc. This is a huge a relief for us. Now we can focus on paying for her last two months of dance.

Ashley's last dance competition is in May in Mobile, Alabama. Ashley will be independently competing both her solos in Mobile to allow our extended family a chance to see her dance. The only person that has seen Ashley dance is my mom. My in-laws, sisters, nieces and nephews have only seen Ashley dance on video and believe me it is not the same. Since this is Ashley's last year competing, we had to figure out a way for the rest of the family see her dance without having them travel to Orlando. I am actually very excited to see every one's reaction to her talent. She is amazingly beautiful on stage.

This may be Ashley's last year competing but it will not be the end of Ashley's dance career. Ashley will be auditioning for the high school dance team next week. She is so excited and nervous. She has been practicing a lot. Dancing for the high school dance team is very different from competitive dance. Brad's girlfriend, Eugenia, is part of the high school dance team, she has been helping Ashley with some things. And Ashley's friend from dance, Sarah, is also auditioning for the team as well. It will be wonderful if they both get on the team. Ashley and Sarah have been dancing together since they were 7. I can't imagine them not making the team, they are both such beautifully talented dancers. I am excited and nervous for this new chapter in Ashley's book of dance.

If Ashley does make the high school dance team, there will be a lot of change regarding her dancing recreationally. We aren't sure yet how we are going to fit dance classes in with high school dance team practices, rehearsals, etc. The only thing we know for sure is that Ashley wants to continue her technical training somewhere, that means ballet classes. She also wants the option to compete her solos independently on the competitive circuit if financially able and if her high school dance schedule allows. We are, of course, going to work hard to make sure things happen for Ashley. As long as she has the drive, and the grades to dance; we will always support her in dance.

Hijacking again

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 03:48:00 +0000

Hi all it me Ashley again hijacking the blog. I begging you to please help my mom and dad pay for my last two dance competitions. This is my last year competiting and I really want to finish the year. My mom is working two jobs to help, put it isn't enough. Especially with my doctor bills but this year it has been my dads drs bills that isn't helping. So if you can me stay in dance, please and thank you.
:) Ashley

So We Got a New Cat or the Cat got us, Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 07:20:00 +0000

Ashley's kitty, Lily, died on December 22 last year. Ashley loved that cat, we all did. She was so precious to us. We worked hard at keeping Lily alive for as long as possible after she swallowed a string in September. The vet didn't offer us much hope without an expensive surgery but we tried; we believe there is always hope. We fed her with a syringe for weeks, she eventually started to eat (a lot) on her own. She started gaining weight and passing the string. Eventually there appeared to be no more string. We thought we had saved her. She was playing, eating, drinking and almost back to the weight she was prior to her getting sick. We were very hopeful. That all changed quickly one dreadful Thursday before Christmas. Lily wouldn't eat, she was hardly moving. She went downhill quickly because by the end of the day, she was not walking at all and she began to have little seizures. At first I didn't know what to do, I was in tears knowing this was the end for our sweet Lily Blue. I knew we had to take her to the vet, and I knew we would not be returning home with Lily. I then grabbed Ashley, told her what I felt. We allowed our other animals time with Lily, we took Lily outside so she could feel the warm fresh Florida air. We then told Ashley's daddy and her big brother, we called the vet and prepared ourselves emotionally for goodbyes. It was hard, very hard for Ashley. But we do have a happy ending.

Check back for more.

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:11:00 +0000

We need to get better about updating this blog. We really have no excuse except that we have been busy. Busy doing normal things like going to school, homework, dancing, school and more homework and even more dancing. I love when our life is normal, I love when we can forget (not really) that Ashley has a life threatening liver disease. I love when we worry about other things unrelated to her liver disease.

Ashley is at a point in her life where she hates school. She loves some parts of it, her friends, language arts, her dance class, and lunch. She has always had to struggle to keep her grades at A's and B's. This year, her 8th grade year, we are seeing her grades drop especially in Algebra and Spanish. Of course, those two class are high school classes so I guess we should be proud that she maintains a C average in those classes. Because she asked and because we want what is best for her, we are working on getting tutors for those subjects. Her Algebra teacher is wonderful and has been keeping Ashley in class at lunch and helping her. I really think the reason Ashley has done so poor in math while in middle school is because her 6th and 7th grade math teachers were not that great. Her 7th grade teacher was the worst, and really truly should retire. I believe in Ashley and I know she will get this, get Algebra and get Spanish. Ashley is a lot like her mom, that's me. She excels in the arts, but academics are a struggle. However, she is doing much better than I ever did in school. I am so PROUD of her. I remember when the doctors told me that Ashley would be delayed mentally. She loves proving people wrong.

I would like promise that we will keep up with this blog but I am not good with promises. But we will certainly try to be better updates.

It's Ashley HERE!

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:04:00 +0000

Hey guys! It's my first post! EVER! I am soo happy cause I wanted all of you guys to know that I am addicted (slightly HAHA) to the Shaytards/Shaycarl/Shayloss/Katilette/etc. So you guys need to go subscribe to their channels!

They're amazing, It's about everyday family life and they post a video everyday!
It relieves the stress, and I love it! Its so funny. So you should go watch one!

Anyways...

I just wanted to say hey! I love you guys sooooo much for donating stuff, before my mom closed the original website. :) And thanks you guys who are still here, watching over me and when I was a baby and sending me packages! I enjoyed them so much! THANKS! I loved them, like they were great.

Thanks you guys for sending me prayers and teddy bears ("Shout out to Matthew") (:

So guys I am going to post something everyday. Cause' my mom is getting Lazy, and she could pass this on to me if she wanted *Wink Wink*.

But you'd have to do the designing, WE NEED MORE PICTURES! Like a college in the background of the family. Right guys?!? Post below!!

But, yeah. I'm really excited. What do you guys think I should post about? Like how I'm feeling and how my life is. Then my mom can do like other stuff, that I don't post. Blahhh Blahhh Blahhh.

I don't know what to type! But comment below followers! And suggest ideas! Love ya!
Kisses,
Ashley Johansen

P.S. Shaytards fav. word is packages! AHH!

Complete Strangers = Happy Dancer

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:27:00 +0000

Sometimes people completely amaze me, and I mean that in a good way not a bad way. Since Ashley was born and diagnosed with this rare ugly life threatening liver disease, we have been blessed with help beyond measure. Sometimes that help was financial, sometimes that help was a simple prayer, and other times that help was just a much needed hug. The people that amaze me are not family or friends, it is complete strangers.

As you know we stopped fundraising for Ashley's liver transplant fund sometime ago since she has been relatively stable...relatively speaking. Although we are not asking for help, we are still receiving it. Many of the people that ask to help don't want to donate to Ashley's liver transplant fund, they want to help making Ashley happy. And what makes Ashley happy? DANCE. Yes, we have a sponsor or sponsors that are currently helping fund Ashley's love for dance. It is amazing, it is emotional.

What is even more incredible is that the sponsor(s) are complete strangers. We have people offering to pay Ashley's dance tuition, help pay for costumes; whatever we need. I even had one want to pay for an entire year of dance (company) but I think they would have a heart attack if I told what it really cost. Have I accepted all the offers of help, no. But instead I have asked some to please help other children or families in need. Or to donate to Biliary Atresia Research in honor of Ashley. Some have done just that or something similar, others have ignored me and we received a donation via Pay Pal.

I am completely amazed by these Complete Strangers who want to make my dancer happy.

Our Normal Life

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:50:00 +0000

Sometimes it amazes me how normal things can be. Our daily life is much like everyone's, the kids go to school, Joey and I go to work, Brad plays baseball and Ashley dances. School started here a few weeks ago and Ashley is loving all of her classes and her teachers; she is the top dog, an 8th grader. We got so involved in the normalcy of our life that we I completely forgot that Ashley has a trip to the Shands Liver Clinic next Friday. To prepare for our two hour trip to Gainesville, Ashley needs to have blood work done this week, she needs to see her pediatrician for her 13 year old physical (I think I will schedule Brad's 15 year old physical as well). So as normal as our life seems with school, work, dance and baseball, it really isn't all that normal when compared to others.

We are excited about Ashley dancing/competing again this year. She will be doing two solos, a duet and 3 group numbers. I am looking forward to ~~NOT~~ having to fundraise to keep her dancing. I work the first UCF Knights Football game this Saturday. I am praying that we make some good money. The more money I make for Ashley that less I have to fundraise and the more time I have with my family. We are still looking at getting people to sponsor Ashley with dance competition. Ashley said if we can get 5 people to sponsor $100 that would be very helpful. (Ashley likes to dream, she dreams big). This may be Ashley's last year competiting so we want to make the best of it. We hope it's not but with her starting high school next year, she is going to be even more busy with academics not to mention a high school social life. Don't worry though, Ashley will always be dancing somewhere, it could be at her current studio, or at a workshop, a masters class or even her high school dance team. Dance is in Ashley's blood, her great grandma was a beautiful ballerina.

Ashley and some of her friends after a dance competiton.
From left to right: Ashley, Kylie, Alexa, Delaney and Ari

Birthday Card from Friendship, Wisconsin

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:26:00 +0000

Yesterday was Ashley's first day back at dance for the new dance season. Imagine our surprise when we were handed an envelope from the studio that did not contain a bill but a birthday card. This birthday card wasn't from the dance studio but from Randy and Sharon Miller. The mystery behind this card is that we do not know a Randy and Sharon Miller from Friendship, Wisconsin. If you are Randy and Sharon Miller, please send me a private email at laurie@cfl.rr.com. In the meantime, thank you for sending Ashley a birthday card. We really appreciate your thoughts of her special day.

Drama to Bama

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 03:03:00 +0000

While traveling to Mobile, Alabama to see family we were in a pretty horrific four car crash. Thanks to my alertness, I saved us and our car from being totaled. It was such a bad accident the FHP could not determine fault, they only knew for sure that we were not at fault since we were rear ended. All three of the other cars had both rear and front damage. And all persons in those cars were taken by ambulance to the hospital. Needless to say it was more drama on our way to Bama then I ever care to experience again.

Happy Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:48:00 +0000

Ashley is officially a teenager. Amazing, we weren't promised two years with her and yet we have been blessed with thirteen. To God be the glory.

We were hoping to surprise Ashley with tickets to So You Think You Can Dance. The tickets went on sale yesterday and the show tour kicks off here in Orlando on September 17. I just wish the tickets weren't so expensive. So disappointed, where is that money tree when you need it.

Ashley did receive a cute birthday gift in the mail. Here she is pictured with it.

Thank you Matthew for the Ballerina Bear.

Tonight Ashley is having a sleepover birthday party with some of her friends. Being born in the middle of the summer means that not all your friends can come to your party because they are on vacation. However, we are going to make the best of it with those few who were able to celebrate with us. I will post birthday party pictures later.

For now I will leave you with these pictures:

Brooke and Ashley making Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

The Finished Product

Please leave birthday wishes for Ashley on her blog.

Medical Bills - A Good Month

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:59:00 +0000

Today, I had the wonderful chore of paying all of our bills. The joys of being a responsible adult. Normally, it is an easy task but when you add medical bills in the mix, it can become a headache. This month, however, it was pretty easy. Ashley's medical bills only totaled $317.08. Sometimes I wonder how much we have paid out of pocket on Ashley since her birth. After two major surgeries, several minor ones plus blood work, MRI's, CT Scans, Ultrasounds, HIDA Scans, medicines, three stays in the ICU, etc. it could be $500K or more..choke, cough. But then again maybe I don't want to know.

The Other Piece of My Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:10:00 +0000

Everyone who reads this blog knows almost everything there is to know about Ashley. Everyone knows that Ashley is such a big piece of my heart but I want to introduce you to the other piece of my heart; Ashley's big brother, Brad.

Brad was born in 1996 after several failed pregnancies. He is just as much of a miracle to me as his sister. When my husband was finally ready to have children I changed just about everything in my life. I began to work out more, eat better, cut caffeine, was very blunt in asking people not to smoke around me. At the time I worked at job that kept me on my feet virtually eight hours a day. I never had problems getting pregnant, it was staying pregnant that proved to be a challenge. Approximately two months before I found out was pregnant with Brad, I had a miscarriage. It was devastating, I felt God was punishing me for some past wrongdoings but I was determined to become a mother. Being a mother was the one thing I know I was put on this earth to do. I firmly believe it is the only path God planned for me.

Today Brad is a very well adjusted, smart, athletic, and cute (just ask all the girls), 15 year old boy. He just took the tests to get his Lerner's Permit. As his mom, I am excited he will be driving soon yet at the same time I am scared to death. Brad is not the typical teenage boy except for the fact that he sleeps til noon during the summer and likes girls or should I say girls like him. What makes Brad different is he has such an intelligence and maturity that is well beyond his years. I enjoy so much talking to Brad about politics, religion, history...just about anything. But I am also very embarrassed and humbled to admit that Brad is so much smarter than me.

Brad and I are close, we have the same close relationship that I have with Ashley. Brad talks to me about anything; girls, drugs, sex, etc. (Our conversations aren't always about politics and/or religion). Brad is self-disciplined but I still have to guide him. He has a great circle of great friends from all walks of life, both girls and boys. I trust his friends and I love being around them almost as much as he does. I secretly wish all of Brad's friends were my friends on Facebook but that is taboo. I think my Facebook page would be so much more exciting with Brad's friends a part of it.

Baseball is Brad's sport of choice to play, but he prefers to watch football. Brad has been playing baseball since he was 5 years old and was on his high school's JV baseball team as a freshman last year. He is a pitcher and a third baseman but can pretty much play any position assigned. Some of the players on the JV team last year have said that Brad "is the most underrated player on the team." He seems to have gained the respect of his fellow teammates as well as the coaches. So you see I am not just a dance mom, I am a baseball mom too.

Academically, Brad is gifted and I am not saying that because I am his mom, he is truly gifted with a high IQ. He is not one of those gifted students that consistently makes straight A's. Since going to high school, the straight A's seem to elude Brad. He is part of the International Baccalaureate program at his high school and graduated middle school with 4 high school credits under his belt. He has many interests and is still not 100% sure what he wants to major in when he goes to college. Some of his interest include psychology, medicine, and engineering. He has dreams to attend the Naval Academy, M.I.T. or Stanford or as he says, "any school that is not in Florida."

When Ashley was born with all of her health issues, I was afraid Brad would be extremely jealous of her or overprotective of her. However, Brad is neither; he treats her like any sibling would treat their brother or sister. Brad and Ashley have always gotten along and even though they will both be teenagers soon, they still like to spend time together. I know that when Ashley starts high school in one year, Brad (and his friends) will be there to help her. Knowing Brad will be there gives me some peace.

Brad is such a big piece of my heart, and just like Ashley, he is the reason mine continues to beat. Being a mother to both of these miracles is such a gift. A gift I will cherish daily and will enjoy continuing to unwrap as they learn to live there lives.

On Turning 13

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:29:00 +0000

It is hard for me to believe that Ashley will be a 13 year old in less than two weeks. Right now I am trying to plan her 13th birthday, not exactly sure if we want to do a big party now since she will get a big party when she turns 16. Ashley has told me that she just wants money for her birthday...lots of money. She is saving money so that she can go to camp at Sea World; swim with the dolphins. For years we have talked about going to Sea World's Discovery Cove but that cost $199 and this is with a Florida Resident Discount. When Ashley's Make A Wish was granted back in 2003, swimming with the dolphins was the first thing she asked for, the second thing was a horse for the back yard. Her wish ended up being a Disney Cruise, which we completely enjoyed. One of these days I hope to grant Ashley's wish of swimming with the dolphins.

One of Ashley's goals before she celebrated her 13th birthday was to reach the 5 foot mark. This weekend we measured her height and discovered that she not only reached 5 feet but she passed it. This made Ashley so happy that she held her head higher for the rest of the day. Ashley wants to be 5'7" tall, I hope that she is able to reach that height but with a dad who is only 5'9" and a mom who is only 5'5" I am not sure she will be able to. Her brother is almost 6 foot so there is still hope for Ashley. (Brad just turned 15).

As I think about Ashley turning 13, I can't help but smile as I look back at where she has been and where she will go. God has a plan for her and discovering what that plan is has been and will to continue to be a celebration of Ashley's life.

One of these days I will write about something other than dance...

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:13:00 +0000

We just got back from Starpower Nationals where Ashley competed in dance against many talented dancers from all across the United States and Canada. There were many great studios present, many of them from Florida. Watching the amazing talent on stage only made me wonder more about Ashley's future in dance. Don't get me wrong Ashley will continue to dance as long as we can financially afford it. But I wonder if Ashley should continue to compete in dance. I worry about her getting discouraged when she sees talent she feels she may never be able to achieve. Ashley is a talented dancer but is she gifted? Many trained professionals have told me that she has talent, and I do see that. Ashley has worked extremely hard in dance to get where she is today, many are born with this natural ability to dance, Ashley is not one of them. However, she has the heart for dance and I believe sometimes that is more important then natural ability.

Ashley's solo performances did not reach the overall level, as she was competing against very talented dancers such as Marrin Espy from Keegan Dance Company and Harrison Weiland from Shooting Stars. However, Ashley received a 4 1/4 stars out of 5 on both her solos which to me is remarkable considering the many other amazing 12- 14 year old soloist she competed against. The five group numbers Ashley competed in did not make it into the overalls but did receive 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 stars out of 5. Again, our studio competed against studios from Ohio, New Jersey, Canada, Georgia just to name a few. Of course, every studio's goal is to reach the overalls but that does not define who you are as a dancer or a studio, I am very proud of our girls for dancing their hearts out.

We have about 5 more weeks before dance starts back up again. Many decisions need to be made about where we are going to go with Ashley and dance. If she remains in the dance company, how many numbers can we afford to let her do with or without fundraising? Will Ashley compete two solos or one? Does she perform her first ever duet/trio? For me my goal is to only have Ashley in dance classes three days a week instead of the five days a week that she has been doing for the last 4 years. My other goal is to keep Sunday's free of dance so that we can have some family time. And vacations, time when there is no school, will be used for just that, a vacation, not a time for dance rehearsals. I am not sure if I will be able to achieve my goals but I will certainly try too. Achieving my goals is important to our family dynamics and overall happiness.

Since we have a break from dance for some time, we are going to use this time to watch the very last space shuttle launch, go to the beach, celebrate Ashley's 13th birthday with a very big surprise and spend some much needed time with our families in Mobile, Alabama. It really is to bad that both Joey and I have to work these last several weeks of summer. Truly wish we could afford to go on a family cruise or spend a long weekend on the beach before the kids go back to school, baseball and dance.

All About Ashley - Dance, Liver, Life.

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:13:00 +0000

Ashley has been busy this year with dance. She is simply amazing and has grown so much as a dancer this year. I am very proud of her. Each year as Ashley continues to dance, it has become increasingly hard to pay for her love of dance. However, some how by the grace of God we are able to continue to support her talent and love.

I mean really how can you possibly say no to this.

and this...

and of course this....

and this too....

Amazing isn't she?

Remarkably or miraculously dance seems to be what is keeping Ashley so healthy. Her doctors are in firm belief that her dance is providing her with healing powers that they just don't have. Ashley's liver disease is stable after 13 years of fighting this beast called biliary atresia. Note: I said stable not cured. Her liver function appears to be normal...for now. The only issue we are dealing with is Ashley's platelet count is continuing to drop. At present time, her platelet count is at 68,000 (normal is 140, 000 to 240,00). A low platelet means Ashley bruises easy, she is at risk for internal bleeding and her spleen is at risk for injury. The good news is that Ashley's liver is still happy, and I almost forgot those masses/cysts/nodules they found in her liver when she was three years old are gone or they just could not be seen on the ultrasound. Maybe dance does have something to do with it.

This month we tested Ashley for Celiacs Disease and her blood work did not indicate that she has the disease nor did it show that she didn't have the disease. Ashley's symptoms pretty much point to Celiacs but without a biopsy of her small intestine we will not be certain. Regardless, we are introducing Ashley to some gluten-free foods. Ashley has noticed the difference when eating these foods and she certainly complains less of stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation, etc. We are struggling with the idea of putting Ashley through another upper endoscopy to achieve the biopsy results. Ashley goes through so much medically, sometimes she wants a break from being a pin cushion/science experiment. As her parents, we want it all to stop too but we also want to do what is best for her to give her a long and happy life. I think that's why we love to watch her dance...we forget how precarious her health can be.

Ashley being stretched by her "big sister" Cami.

Caroline, Ashley, and Madison

Ashley and her friend Mackenzie

Ashley 2nd Overall Soloist with her friend Ari who got 3rd Overall.
Ashley is pictured with her choreographer, the beautiful and talented, Alexis Underwood.

Next week, we will be watching Ashley compete in a national dance competition in Orlando. We look forward to it because we do like to forget about her disease every once in a while.

Update Coming Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:07:00 +0000

Boy I don't keep my promises very well, do I? However, I am working on an update for Ashley's blog right now that will include more recent dance pictures, medical update and more. I have been looking at moving her blog over to WordPress but I have no clue how to do that, wish I knew someone who did.

Check back tomorrow for an update.

Poems By Ashley

noreply@blogger.com (Laurie Johansen) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 23:13:00 +0000

My Life

I am still young,

but my hope is not lost,

even with a pain bearing

through my thoughts

I have grown through the years

12 to be exact

knowing the scary fact

of my life threatening disease

that I have had

since the day I began to breathe

it has been hard, times have been rough

going to the doctors at least twice a month

missing school

losing friends

having surgery it never ends

Though,

you gave me home,

some family

some friends,

some wonderful pets

and a love that never ends so,

I won’t give up,

I will live through this

haunting fact that

will never give.

Written 12/13/2010

LOST HOPE

A hope

a gentle hope

floating through

continuous air.

Making us stare

wondering where

it might hide.

Hope is there

waiting for prayer.

Why must it hide

we need its guide.

Don't you dare

try to cry,

He is there.

A hope

a gentle hope

floating through

continuous air.

You must decide

to catch Him there.

written 2/9/2011