Sherri Connell

A Lifetime in 27 Years

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This Couple! Wow!

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THIS COUPLE!!! I am SO blessed to have these two in my life! We have known Bruce and Sue for 18 years! They are two AMAZING individuals, who make an INCREDIBLE couple! They truly put God, their marriage, family and friends first in their lives.
 
THIS WOMAN!!! Sue gives to so many in her life: her children, her grandchildren, family, friends and strangers. She has been there with me through many tragedies and difficult times. Just last June, both Sue and Bruce blessed us with the most enchanting evening in the forest, after we lost a life-long dream and project we had been working on for 3.5 years and my friend of 28 years. Then she sent me home with these gorgeous flowers to enjoy!
 
Sue has been a friend to my mom, as she has been struggling severely with her health and living an isolated life. She went through every single piece of clothing my mom had in her closet, drawers and in boxes and helped her decide what to take to her new home at the Cantril House in Castle Rock (assisted living). That was a Godsend for me, because I dreaded that task. Sue helped sort through the bathroom things and was an incredible source of MUCH NEEDED moral support for all of us, throughout the grueling process! Last week, she visited Mom in her new place and did some shopping for her.
Sue is what a true servant of God and friend looks like! And I am so thankful for Bruce, who greets me with the most loving bear hug ever! This man’s treasured wisdom is so valuable to us and we are so thankful that he shares his BEAUTIFUL bride with us! Please keep Sue in your prayers, as she is facing some of her own physical challenges. May God bless these two for the blessings they give to others!
 
I LOVE YOU Bruce and Sue, more than words can say! I could never get through this life without you!
 
Sherri

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♡ Sherri

A Surprise Bouquet from Amazing Friends

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Wowee!!! I have THE MOST AMAZING friends, Mike and Patti! They have a pretty good idea of the HORROR I have been living off and on (mostly on) for past 6 years, plus every day for the last 1.5!

I have been near death more times than I can count and under so much unfathomable, unthinkable, daily stress and crisis situations with my mom, in addition to so so many deaths, attacks on us and serious loses. I will spare the details. Please just keep my mom, Wayne and me in your prayers.

Today, a florist showed up at my door. I told him, “you must have the wrong address, because I never get flowers!” I was being serious. But I looked at the card and IT WAS for me!

Thank you, Mike and Patti for caring enough to send me the ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS bouquet! My only wish is that we weren’t so far apart!

I love you both so much!!! 💖💖💖

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♡ Sherri

Let’s Shake It Off Together!

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Most of you have probably already heard this song by Taylor Swift! But I love this Africanized version by Alex Boye! Not all the words apply, but after I listen to this the chorus helps me remember to Shake It Off!

Whether it is a person saying something ridiculous or a frustrating phone call with an insurance company, I am too good at internalizing the pain and anguish, which turns into increased physical pain! So, I must learn to Shake It Off!

Listen and sing with me! Listen enough times that it comes up during the day when you need it most!

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♡ Sherri

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My Mom Chosen Senior of the Month

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My mom, Carole Mitchell, was chosen as Elderlink Home Care, Inc.‘s senior of the month for July! They are choosing one person a month to celebrate their 30 years in business. We were so elated to get this news! My mom certainly deserves recognition for her years of service in business and devotion to friends and family! And it included a $300 grant!

Thank you, Elderlink! And thank you, Shannon U, for telling me about the nominations for this!

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♡ Sherri

I Am A Champion – You’re Gonna Hear Me Roar!

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“I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire! Cuz I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar!” Cover tune, “Roar.”

Living with a chronic illness can bring out so much judgment and assumptions towards us from family, friends, doctors and even strangers. Often these things can cause us to want to retreat or avoid speaking up for ourselves.

Now, I am a “peacemaker” and I do not like negative confrontations. I would rather let what people say bounce off of me … but it doesn’t. I tend to internalize what they have said and it eats me up inside!

Therefore, I do not think we have to resort to being unkind, but we need to believe in ourselves and stand firm on the ground that we are valuable, have purpose and our illnesses do not mean we are weak, lesser, nor do they mean we are at fault.

So, let’s stand up for ourselves! Let’s stand strong! We can be heard with kindness, but let’s be heard and let’s fight for our relationships, care and lives!

Be sure to watch the video below! I love this version, because I am Safari Sherri! Enjoy!

Alex Boye, featuring the Ft Mom Bloggers United sing the Africanized version of cover tune, “Roar,” by Katy Perry. 

Let’s ROAR!!!!!!

Safari Sherri

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Saying Goodbye to a Good Friend

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With a heavy heart, I share that my dear friend, Ann left this world last night. I rejoice that she is pain free, with God, her son, her dad and brother.

I am also thankful for the birthday party friends and family had for her in May. 100 people were there, standing in line to share their love for Ann. We gave her a tiara, boa and beads to make her feel like a queen! It was absolutely beautiful!

A special THANK YOU goes out to Jim Juhl, Gwen Juhl, June Greiman, Ali Fisher, the women’s group and choir and South Suburban Church for the amazing celebration!

Please keep her husband, daughter, siblings and mom in your prayers. May God bring them peace beyond comprehension. I love you, Ann! Thank you for being a blessing in my life. 💜💜💜

Spent Time with Family

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Had a wonderful visit with family! My sister and brother-in-law came for a visit and we saw my great niece, Avery Carey who now lives fairly close! We celebrated an early Thanksgiving together for the first time in 6 years (when my brother was still with us).

A special THANK YOU goes out to Chef@home – Mahani Duncan for providing our dinners so we wouldn’t have to worry about meals! Cannot tell you how HUGE this is!

It is so bitter sweet to see my family. I am thankful, but it is always so hard to watch them drive away!

Sorry, no photos. None of us felt well enough for photos.

 Sherri
www.SherriConnell.com

2017 Invisible Disabilities Week Was A Huge Success

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This year’s 2017 Invisible Disabilities Week was a huge success! The week was founded and declared by the Invisible Disabilities Association in 2014, by my hubby Wayne Connell.

Making a Difference for Others Living with Debilitating Conditions

2017 Invisible Disabilities Week Team: Sherri, Cassandra, Suzanne and Katie

Since I live with debilitating illness every day, I decided to volunteer for this week. I create all the activities for the week, with the MEME’s for people to share and participate (I was an art major before I switched to theater).

This year, I also created three Facebook Frames which were extremely popular. Over 6,500 people used the frames on their Facebook Profile Photos and many of them posted these photos on their other social media platforms! It was GREAT to see people so excited to be a part of the week!

I am so thankful to have had a wonderful IDW Team helping me get the word out and interact with the attendees this year! There is no way I could have done this alone. Thank you, Suzanne, Katie and Cassandra!

Invisible Disabilities Week Gets Worldwide Coverage

People from all over the world were sharing their stories, awareness endeavors, fur babies, service dogs, favorite people, places and more on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

There were several posts on the Invisible Disabilities Association’s Facebook Page that had hundreds of comments and on Instagram and Twitter, colleges, groups and businesses were participating in the week!

IDA’s Wayne Connell Brings Awareness to Invisible Disabilities

Wayne Connell, IDA founder and president had two television interviews during Invisible Disabilities Week, where he was able to share about millions living with illness, pain, injury and disability. It was an amazing opportunity to reach the hearts of the audience and bring awareness to friends, family, doctors, neighbors and society at large.

You can see the television interview on KUSA-TV 9, Colorado and Company with Denise Plante:

A second television interview was featured on FOX31 Denver KDVR-TV, Colorado’s Own Channel 2 KWGN-TV, Daybreak with Natalie Tysdal:

Wayne also was a guest speaker for two corporations, bringing education and awareness to their employees. Wayne’s invisible disabilities presentations at Accenture and TIAA were very well received and Wayne was honored and grateful for the invitation and opportunity!

Invisible Disabilities Week Concludes with “Laugh Out Loud” IDA Awards Gala

The 2017 IDA Awards Gala,”Laugh Out Loud” in Denver on October 21st was a spectacular evening!

We thoroughly enjoyed our hilarious Comedian, Sam Adams as our Headliner and the sensational, Karyn Buxman, RN, MSN, Neurohumorist and Hall of Fame Speaker as our Master of Ceremonies.

It was truly an evening full of inspiring stories, touching presentations and lighthearted fun, bringing awareness to millions of people living with invisible disabilities. We had the privilege of honoring several incredible individuals and organizations who are making a difference in the world for people living with disabilities. Doctors, nurses, friends and family were walking away saying, “Wow! I didn’t get it until tonight!”

As you may have noticed, we had a 70’s theme for those who dared to get groovy! … And they did! Attendees had a blast dressing in bell-bottoms, mini-skirts and disco shirts! The laughter and fun was contagious, as people mingled, danced and met new friends!

We would like to say thank you to all of our amazing sponsors and attendees who joined us for this wonderful night! We are grateful for your love and compassion for people living with invisible disabilities. And thank you to all of our special guests, chairpersons, gala committee and volunteers for working hard to make this an incredible night, none will soon forget!

All in all, it was a fantastic week of awareness, education, sharing and friendships! See you all next year! www.InvisibleDisabilitiesWeek.org

Happy Place? I Found Mine! Where’s Yours?

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Here’s My Happy Place!

My happy place is an outdoor pool! I feel free and relaxed when I am in the water! I can even get some exercise in the water, whereas it is virtually impossible for me on land. Pools are fairly available, compared to let’s say trying to travel somewhere to get to a beach. But I feel like I am at a resort when I am at an outdoor pool! And that makes them awesome!

Here Are Some More of Mine:

Outside with my animals (but not heat).
Spending time with friends and family
Disneyland or Disney World (someday again I hope)
At a wildlife preserve or conscientious zoo (rare)
Beach (only been a few times)
Going out to eat
Watching movies
Playing cards
Playing games
Watching fun videos online
Playing Scrabble online
Playing Solitaire online

So, Where is YOUR Happy Place?

Don’t have one? Keep searching, because we all need not just one, but many! We need ones that are rare, as well as ones that are very accessible. It could be anything from the beach to a restaurant to sitting on your couch watching a movie. List as many as you can think of and use them as refuge from the stress of this life!

Remember! We have to be intentional every day about finding joy and laughter, amidst the battles! We can’t just wait for them to fall onto our laps! It’s imperative!

Finally Got to Illinois to See My Family

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GRATITUDE OF THE DECADE!

I can’t believe we were finally able to go see my family in Illinois!

We had to purchase a very rare all fiberglass trailer, which is extremely hard to find, then we

had to make lots and lots of repairs and changes to it, as well as many other challenges had to be addressed. The whole process took ten years! However, WE FINALLY GOT OUT THERE!!!!

Wayne and I enjoyed our first stay in an RV park in Salina, Kansas at the KOA! We got the end spot right next to a pond! The park was a delight! It had lots of trees, a gravel road, two ponds, cabins, a pool and of course, no chemical sprayers in the restrooms (air fresheners). We LOVED this place!

Our landing spot in Illinois was OK, but it was hard to love it after the first stop (LOL). I got to know the owner and he watched out for me every day (it wasn’t in the best of areas near St. Louis).

We had a GREAT time visiting with my dad (Ron), mom (Nancy Jo), brother (Marty) and grandma (GG)! We had planned on doing all of our visiting on my dad’s infamous deck, but my dad really wanted to get out and show us a few sights! He is such a warrior, pushing through the horrific pain he has been in!

We went by my childhood home, my best friend’s house, my old favorite place to swim (where I lived in the Summers), my mom’s childhood home, the fire station where we had annual

picnics, Dad’s old school (where he taught band), his church and the “Angels of Hope” where my dad had a brick laid in memory of my brother.

Dad also surprised me by taking me by the house where we lived when I was born! It belonged to my grandma and grandpa and I had never seen it in person (besides when I lived there when I was one). The people who bought the house after we moved still live there and they were home! They invited us in to see that some of the same furniture, lighting, doors and radiators were still there! I don’t remember any of it, but it was so fun to see my grandma and grandpa’s things!

Wayne and I also made a quick stop at the St. Louis Zoo. I couldn’t go all the way out there without at least taking a peek. This place is one of my fondest memories with my dad, family and cousins as a child. It has the coolest train! Unfortunately, I couldn’t ride it because of the exhaust. But it was fun to see it!

All in all, it was a wonderful trip of a lifetime! We were sad we couldn’t see everyone due to schedules or living out of town. But, I am so thankful for the precious time we had with family we were able to be with! We had great conversations, lots of laughter and hugs! It was just so wonderful to be able to sit on their deck, surrounded by trees, Cardinals and my dad’s amazing garden!

I have missed them all SO much over the years and wish I could just hop over there anytime to visit or have pizza night with them. It is so hard being so far apart! Nonetheless, I am so very grateful to have had this time with them and I will cherish it forever!

Please keep my dad (Ron) and mom (Nancy Jo) in your prayers for healing and much, much less pain, as well as my grandma (GG) to find new friends and joy in her new (and very nice) assisted living apartment.

 Sherri

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