{"id":47,"date":"2014-06-21T17:52:22","date_gmt":"2014-06-21T17:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gator3119.hostgator.com\/~holdenjl\/?p=47"},"modified":"2017-11-19T11:32:26","modified_gmt":"2017-11-19T19:32:26","slug":"birthdays-blogiversaries-and-blankets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/?p=47","title":{"rendered":"Birthdays, Blogiversaries and Blankets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today is my 39th birthday and my blog&#8217;s 3rd birthday. As a gift to both of us, I decided to kick it up a notch and graduate onto a new and improved platform.\u00a0 One might wonder why I didn&#8217;t do this sooner (considering all of the snafus and technological hiccups I encountered with Blogger).\u00a0 Truth is, I think a part of me never wanted to have to invest too much effort in a blog for a disease that I wasn&#8217;t &#8220;supposed to have&#8221; or that I simply didn&#8217;t want.\u00a0 But since HIBM seems to be here to stay, I figured I may as well go for it. And take one more small step along the increasingly longer-than-expected road to acceptance.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>In addition to unveiling my blog&#8217;s new look today,\u00a0 I wanted to take a moment to thank you for following along with me these past three years and for making it feel so safe to be so open and honest here. From the very first post I published (with such trepidation) to now, I have been reminded of how much love and goodness exists out there. I took a risk and exposed myself fully, having no idea how people would see me, only to discover a circle of open arms holding out warm, comforting blankets should I need them. I felt so much closer, more connected to the people in my life, especially those who wanted to but didn&#8217;t know how to approach me around my disease. I was reminded in the most real way that what matters most in this world is true connection to others- authentic meaningful relationships based on honest human experiences. And finally, that a little vulnerability goes a long long way.<\/p>\n<p>Please don&#8217;t take it from me. Try it out for yourself. I promise you, the enrichment to and enhancement of your life experience will far outweigh the risk and all the discomfort that can come from truly letting your guard down.<\/p>\n<p>I mean, let&#8217;s face it, how else can I explain being one of the happiest people I know in spite of such tragic medical circumstances?<\/p>\n<p>Oh and one more thing&#8230;If I can still dance by my 40th birthday next year, I&#8217;ll be having a full-on, blow out bash and I&#8217;ll expect to see you on the dance floor right next to me&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today is my 39th birthday and my blog&#8217;s 3rd birthday. As a gift to both of us, I decided to kick it up a notch and graduate onto a new and improved platform.\u00a0 One might wonder why I didn&#8217;t do this sooner (considering all of the snafus and technological hiccups I encountered with Blogger).\u00a0 Truth<\/p>\n<div><a class=\"btn-filled btn\" href=\"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/?p=47\" title=\"Birthdays, Blogiversaries and Blankets\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/candle.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5aYbC-L","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":259,"url":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/?p=259","url_meta":{"origin":47,"position":0},"title":"Survival of the Fittest?","author":"admin","date":"December 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The first time I ever went dancing with my now husband, he called me Elaine. Of course, as a fellow avid Seinfeld watcher, I knew exactly what he meant. I wasn't offended, because if there's one skill I always had confidence in, it was my dancing. If you're not familiar\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/dance.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/dance.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/dance.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/dance.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36,"url":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/?p=36","url_meta":{"origin":47,"position":1},"title":"It&#8217;s My Birthday","author":"admin","date":"June 21, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I have never blogged before. Maybe because it felt exhibitionistic or maybe because doing so presumes people will be interested in what I have to say. But recently, I have felt a need, an urgent and desperate need to express myself- to share what's going on with me and my\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 comments","link":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/?p=36#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/candle.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/candle.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/candle.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/candle.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25,"url":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/?p=25","url_meta":{"origin":47,"position":2},"title":"That time of year&#8230;","author":"admin","date":"June 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"For the last few years, birthdays have been a bit tricky for me. \u00a0As I shared in my very first blog posting one year ago (yes, it's my blog's anniversary tomorrow), having a progressively debilitating disease can make any regularly-occuring marker of the passage of time anything but celebratory. What's\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/birthday_.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/birthday_.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/birthday_.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/birthday_.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27,"url":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/?p=27","url_meta":{"origin":47,"position":3},"title":"Dreams Can Come True","author":"admin","date":"March 14, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Tomorrow my baby boy will turn one. Not only will I celebrate his first year of life tomorrow, but I will also celebrate the first anniversary of a dream come true for me. I will be reminded tomorrow, and probably every birthday of his thereafter, of all that is good\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_0738.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_0738.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_0738.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/IMG_0738.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19,"url":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/?p=19","url_meta":{"origin":47,"position":4},"title":"Cake","author":"admin","date":"May 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I haven't posted in a while. \u00a0That could mean one of two things: either things have been fine and I haven't really felt an acute need to share emotionally intense thoughts or experiences\u00a0or things haven't really been fine and I've been trying (with all my might) to avoid confronting difficult\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/candle.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/candle.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/candle.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/candle.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22,"url":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/?p=22","url_meta":{"origin":47,"position":5},"title":"The Vortex","author":"admin","date":"December 14, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I had an appointment with a new orthotist (a person who fits one with AFOs\/leg braces). \u00a0I wanted to find out if there were any newer, better options for me. If perhaps there was a new design that could be just as effective but perhaps somewhat more aesthetically pleasing\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/nausea.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/nausea.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/nausea.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/livingwithhibm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/nausea.jpg?fit=730%2C350&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":497,"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47\/revisions\/497"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingwithhibm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}