I am still a die hard fan of Taylor Swift. It shouldn't come as a shock that I rushed home from a party to catch her hosting Saturday Night Live last night. Totally worth it. She was the host and the musical guest. Double threat. She was HILARIOUS!!! I was very impressed by her comedic timing and talent. She's a natural. I am not surprised one bit...she's amazing! Below is her opening monologue.
My new favorite quote...
"The highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity. Choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over popularity...these are the choices that measure your life. Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for there is never a wrong time to do the right thing." - Successories
Thank you so much for those that supported me to help cover my cost for the Mt. Kilimanjaro project that I have been preparing for this year. Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. I have the best supporters that a person could ask for. I do wish the project was everything that I was initially lead to believe it was. However, recently it has come to my attention that there was some wrong doing going on behind the scenes where the money is concerned. I do not trust this organizer because of the sneaky deception and hidden motives. I feel they were using me to further their ends and leaving me to take a public relations beating. With that said, I cannot in good faith be a part of this project. My reputation and good name is more important to me than having this experience. I want to do right by myself and especially to those that have supported me.
When I let the organizer know that I was no longer going to be a part of this project because of X, Y and Z I requested that all those that donated money on my behalf to cover my cost of the trip be refunded. The organizer is willing to do that. Therefore, if you donated on my behalf your full donation will be refunded.
I really wanted to do this climb to represent the wheelchair community in a positive way and raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. I wish their motives were the same that mine have been from the beginning. I feel very embarrassed, deceived and used by this whole situation. Perhaps one day I will have the opportunity to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. As stressful as this situation has been the last few days I have to do what is right regardless of the consequences. I do sincerely apologize for getting some of you involved in this situation. Please find it in your heart to forgive me. I know that the climb organizer will be contacting those that donated through PayPal. Those that donated by a check I will make sure that a check will be issued back to you. Thank you for your understanding, support and again I am so sorry.
--
Briana Walker
Today we honored my mother and many others by walking to defeat ALS. A few months ago my mother was diagnosed with ALS aka Lou Gehrig's Disease. There is no cure at this time and it is fatal. Hearing this news definitely shook all of us up. Our family seems to have a lot of challenges come our way but we pull together, get through it and in the end come out a lot stronger.
The walk was 3 miles and most of the time up hill. With the hot weather we were all breaking a sweat. It was a great way to spend the morning with my family walking side by side to support my mom.
TEAM WALKER
Richard and Mako
Robert and Katie
Me, my Mom and Mako
Mom and Kira
Mom and Kira stretching
AND WE'RE OFF...
THE FINISH LINE
Last Sunday kicked off my birthday week. Sunday is the day I celebrate my birthday with my family. My mom asked me what I wanted for dinner on my birthday this year. I thought I would get creative and do something different other than my usual favorite meal. I said Chinese food and not just any Chinese food; homemade Chinese food. My mom was a little hesitant but I loved her willingness to research some recipes and come up with some great menu ideas to feed 15 people.
Our homemade Chinese food menu consisted of:
Orange Chicken - My favorite part of the meal and it better be because it was the most involved preparation. It took so long to clean the stove after we were finished.
Broccoli Beef - My sister Kristen's recipe and definitely a keeper.
Sweet & Sour Meatballs - With all the other dishes to prepare we thought it more convenient to just make the sauce and throw it into a crock pot along with some meatballs.
Chow Mein - We doubled the recipe so we had a HUGE bowl of it. There was so many noodles that we threw some away because there just wasn't enough room to cook it.
Fried Rice - A-mazing!!! Thanks Doug for taking the reins on this one.
Egg Rolls - When my mom and I went shopping for the ingredients for the other dishes I saw the ingredients to make homemade egg rolls. I looked over at her and without missing a beat she said "Don't even ask!" I just laughed. We compromised and got the store bought kind.
After it took a great deal of effort by everyone to make all of this food we definitely have a new found respect for the Chinese. It was in fact the best Chinese food I have ever had.
I decorated the dinner table in a Chinese theme that included fortune cookies and chop sticks. I was really impressed by my nieces and nephews using the chop sticks. Josh (a 1 year old) loved playing air drums with them and poking his mom in the arm. Reading the fortunes was a crack up. My sister Kristen had a fortune that said something about enhanced intelligence and the grammer and spelling was incorrect on her fortune. Who is writing these fortunes? What made the Chinese theme come more to life was everyone taking home leftovers. If only we had those little Chinese cardboard boxes.
I am not a fan of cake so my birthday dessert is different every year. In previous years we have had jello and ice cream, "dirt", cookies, etc. This year my brother-in-law Scott made a very yummy apple crisp. There is a tradition that has developed over the years when it comes to how many candles I blow out. I was injured when I was 23 and got out of the hospital right before my 24th birthday. I told my mom how my 23rd year really didn't turn out how I wanted it to. She wanting to make me happy decided to have my birthday cake say "Happy 23 Again" and yes there were only 23 candles on my cake. Every year since there has only been 23 candles to blow out. This year we added a "?" because I feel I have reached the age where we need to keep my age in question.
...uh...that's an understatement. On Wednesday I got a call from some friends Jen and Nate that are currently on tour with Britney Spears. They had a few free VIP tickets for that night's show and invited me to come along and bring some guests. I have never been to a Britney concert so I thought it might be fun dancing and singing along with her teeny bopper songs. I must have been living under a rock for the last few years because Ms. Spears is "not a girl and [definitely] not yet a woman". For a 27 year old, mother of two, that is considered a role model for young girls all I can say is lock up your daughters.
The tour is called "The Circus Starring Britney Spears". Oh what a circus it truly was. The circus-themed extravaganza, played out across a three-ring set stage, opened with an extended introduction featuring clowns, acrobats and jugglers, for some I am sure making it way too long before Britney finally hit the stage. But since my friends were part of this performance I didn't mind.
My friends Jen and Nate (www.jenandnatesite.com) are acrobats and they were part of the opening number before Britney finally hits the stage. See video below. Jen borrowed one of my blingy wheelchairs for her performance which made me very excited. Watching them and the other performers open up the show was awesome. I thought to myself what a great theme for a concert not to mention a great way to feature incredible talent.
The first song Britney performed was "Circus". I say "performed" instead of "sang" because it's no secret that Ms. Spears lip-syncs. This performance was a great way to start off the show and get the crowd excited. Then it turned into Cirque du Skanky. Britney's outfits went from revealing to VERY revealing. I am not a prude but there were times I stopped watching because I was so disgusted by the display on stage. I even covered my eyes or looked away many times. At one point 10 of her male back up dancers pulled down their pants to their ankles and humped her. My horrified scream was lost in the audiences screams of excitement. This was the tip of the ice berg. During one of her wardrobe changes a video played of Britney "singing" Marilyn Manson's version of "Sweet Dreams" while she participated in a display of S&M activity with other dancers all barely dressed, kissing, whipping, spanking and humping each other. Once again, I was horrified and the crowd loved it. Most, if not all, of the concert was centered around a provacative and sexual tone. There were so many young girls there with their parents watching this display of well, to be quite honest, soft porn. I hope that was enough for them to monitor more of what their children are listening to and the type of person their children are looking up to. Bottom line is...this concert is not suitable for young viewers. There should have been a disclaimer when purchasing the tickets. But then again I am sure some parents would have taken their children anyway.
After I left the concert I said to myself "I can't wait to read the review on this concert." To my surprise within the next couple days every review I read applauded Britney for a great come back and successful tour. The only criticism was in regards to Britney lip-syncing through her 90 minute concert. I was floored. What about the dirty and extremely naughty spectacle she made on stage? Where are the standards? Are there any female pop singers that don't go over to the dark side?
Most of the songs performed were from her "Blackout" and "Circus" albums. I knew a song here and there but the performances were too shocking to even get hyped up to sing along or dance to.
Here is her set list:
1. Circus
2. Piece of Me
3. Radar
4. Ooh Ooh Baby/Hot as Ice
5. Boys
6. If U Seek Amy
7. Me Against the Music
8. Freakshow
9. Get Naked
10. Breathe on Me/Touch of My Hand
11. Do Something
12. Slave
13. Toxic
14. Baby One More Time
ENCORE
15. Womanizer
"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty." ~ Henry Ford
This last spring I went back to school full time so I can finally cross off "earn my bachelor's degree" on my goals list. I have worked very hard for years to allow me the flexibility and luxury of going to school full time during the day. In the beginning I was nervous about how I would do in school since I haven't taken classes in many many years. Those nerves were quickly put at ease after my first semester. I love school! (THUNK! I think I just heard my mom faint to the floor from shock) I never thought I would ever say those words. I think part of why I like it so much is because I am studying topics I am passionate about and going back as a (shhh!) "seasoned" or "mature" student if you will I am getting so much more out of it. Mainly because I am putting so much more into it this time around. I enjoy what I am learning about.
My major is criminal justice. Most that know me know that since I was a child I have always wanted to get into law enforcement. Sadly, becoming a paraplegic seemed to put a damper on my plans. When I decided a year ago to go back to school I did some research and spoke to some professionals in law enforcement that lead me in the right direction. I want to get into detective work and I have been properly counseled on what I need to do in order to get into that line of work with a city agency. This fall semester I have 17 units. In the spring I will be carrying just as many and plan to continue that pace so that I can transfer to Cal State Fullerton and graduate in 2013. That year seems so far away. Well at least I thought it was so far away but yet I have nearly finished a whole year of school, that's right I went in the summer too (no summer vacation for me), and 2013 will be here before I know it.
Being back in school I feel young again and not to mention I look younger too. I am in jeans, t-shirt and flip flops almost daily. Classmates and teachers are floored when they find out that I graduated high school in (shhh!) 1996. When I took my placement test to find out what level math and english I would be in I felt like a dummy because I couldn't remember how to do algebra for the life of me. I asked myself, I said "self, when was the last time you did algebra?" response "the last time you did algebra you were a sophomore in high school. That was only (finger counting) 1, 2, 3....16 years ago. 16 YEARS AGO???? HOLY SMOKES!!!! That was nearly half my life ago." After that realization I had to breath into the paper bag to prevent me from hyperventilating. Where has the time gone? Thank goodness for second chances. However, it is never too late to get an education.
I see that it has been a long time since my last blog post and to be honest with my school work load it just may be another couple months before I post something again. So in the mean time I will leave you with these words of wisdom...
"Be smart. You are all in school. Do not waste your time. This is a time of great opportunity that you will never have again as long as you live. Make the most of it right now. It is wonderfully challenging. It is hard, it is tough, isn’t it? But what a wonderful thing to go and learn of all the accumulated knowledge of all the centuries of time. Go on to college or whatever school, vocational school, whatever your choice is, but take advantage of every opportunity that you have because the Lord has laid upon you a mandate through revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith concerning not only spiritual learning but secular learning. Yours is the responsibility, and you can’t afford to waste your time. There is so much to learn. Be smart. Give it the very best that you have." - Gordon B. Hinckley, Prophet and 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Check out the video footage of my recent hike as part of my training for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa this coming January.
Please go to www.Fit4Kili.com and donate today towards our project of raising money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Thank you!
Some photos of my mountain hike last weekend. This mountain definitely wasn't high enough. It was a lot easier than I was expecting. I could have pushed a lot longer and harder. I know a day of hiking doesn't compare to 9 days of hiking in Africa but little by little I am getting ready to dominate Mt. Kilimanjaro. Be sure to go to www.Fit4Kili.com to donate toward our project to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
Attaching my off-road wheels...
Choosing a hike route...
All packed up and ready to go...
Let's do this...
"Hey guys, wait up!"
It's getting steeper...
"I think I can, I think I can..."
I knew I could do it...
Heading down the mountain...
Each year I seem to out do myself from the previous year. Last year I took part in a bike across America for charity and I thought that would be the most challenging thing I would ever do. Little did I know that the very next year I would be taking on a challenge that some would deem unimaginable and once again I do it for charity. For some reason I really seem to push myself when it comes to doing things for charity.
This coming January my little brother Richard and I will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, AFRICA to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (www.challengedathletes.org). Being a challenged athlete myself I know what it takes to continue doing the sports and activities I loved before sustaining my spinal cord injury back in 2002. I know that these activities cost a lot of money for the necessary equipment. Equipment that most disabled people can't afford on their own. The Challenged Athletes Foundation provides the means for the disabled to follow through with their dreams and goals as an athlete. One of my goals is to reach the top of the summit in my custom built all-terrain Colours wheelchair on behalf of all those that will benefit from the money we raise by climbing this 19,340 foot mountain. Richard and I will be training and climbing with practitioners from the C.H.E.K. Institute (www.chekinstitute.com) so we are prepared and properly taken care of on the mountain. This entire adventure is being turned into a documentary. The film crew climbing with us will be capturing every moment and every emotion we experience on that mountain.
When we first began planning this adventure we had a big sponsor supplying equipment and giving a large donation to support the trip. Unfortunately, due to the economy and budget cuts they had to pull out from helping us. With all the preparation that has gone into organizing this trip and getting it off the ground to pull out now would be a mistake. Hence the reason I turn to you my wonderful and giving family and friends. I need your help to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation and to also support our climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro. Our main goal is to raise $100,000. My personal goal amount to raise is $10,000 to go towards the main goal amount. If I could raise more than that on my own I would be so ecstatic and incredibly grateful.
I am humbly asking for your support by making a donation today toward the "Fit 4 Kili Climb" (www.Fit4Kili.com). This will not be an easy task for me to accomplish but with the support and encouragement from my family and friends behind me I know there isn't anything I can't do. Please help me help the Challenged Athletes Foundation today by clicking on the link below and making a donation. Every little bit helps. Thank you so much!!! Please see the flyer below for more information or visit www.Fit4Kili.com.
To make a donation today please visit http://www.fit4kili.com.
I have had a lot of weird things happen to me in my life but never have I had one day where these weird things were consecutive.
#1 - It was the Wednesday before Easter and I wanted to put together an Easter basket for a friend of mine. So I went to the 99 cent store to get some goodies. Right when I roll through the door I notice a man standing in line. He stared at me as I rolled past him which is something I am used to being in a wheelchair. What was different about this situation was that I started back at him too. I noticed as I rolled past him that he did not look like most men. In fact he was trying not to look like a man. He had on high heels, silky black fitted cargo capris, a fitted black women's sweater, acrylic nails, held a purse, wore make up and to be honest I had no idea what look he was going for with his hair. I didn't want to be rude and keep staring as I looked away, grabbed my basket and began rolling down the Easter aisle. When I found something that caught my interest I turned to get a better look. As I turned I noticed someone standing beside me so I looked in that direction. To my surprise it was the cross dresser standing about 10 feet away from me. I remembered that he was in line to check out when I arrived so I just figured he forgot something. I moved on down the aisle. I stopped looked over my shoulder and there he was again a little closer staring at me. I moved on around the corner to the next aisle. He followed getting closer and staring at me more intensely. This started to feel very Silence of the Lambs to me so I put my basket down on the ground and casually rolled out of the store. I got in my car, locked the door and as I drove away I saw him standing in the doorway of the store staring at me. Very creepy!!!
#2 - Later that same day I had a dance performance at CSULB. After the performance a gentleman in a wheelchair came up to me and began telling me what a fan he was of mine and how he has always wanted to meet me. I was thanking him graciously when he said the words "I actually have you tattooed on my back". I laughed thinking this was a joke. He assured me that it wasn't and was willing to pull his shirt up to show me. Still thinking it was a joke I encouraged him to do so. He couldn't do it by himself so his brother lifted the shirt up to the top of his back. Oh this was no joke at all. He copied my picture from the Colours Wheelchairs catalog. This photo...
The only difference on the tattoo was that I was topless. My jaw dropped. He said that I should feel flattered. I told him that I was definitely feeling something. My dance partner said I should take a photo of it. I whispered to her "does this seem like a moment I want to remember?" She laughed. I pulled his shirt down and laughed as I explained to him that when he ages so will this tattoo and those perky boobs won't be so perky anymore. This was definitely a first for me and I hope the very last.
#3 - After the dance performance I had to run an errand at the local K-Mart. I rushed in and got my items and as I was rolling out the door I saw what I assumed was a fairly large homeless woman pushing her shopping cart in front of me and then stopping in front of me blocking my path to get into the parking lot. I was about to squeeze around her when what happened next stopped me right in my tracks. This woman pulled down her pants all the way to her ankles and then peed right in front of me on the sidewalk, right in front of the entrance/exit of the K-Mart. People were walking through the entrance and didn't seem to notice the woman taking a leak or me looking panicked. I kept asking myself "Am I invisible?". She finished, pulled her pants up and went on her merry way. I was still in shock. I couldn't believe what I just witnessed. It brought new meaning to the phrase "when you gotta go, you gotta go". And she did.
I was so glad when the day was over. I couldn't help but laugh as I laid down to go to sleep. The Wackiest Wednesday I have ever had. Better yet the wackiest day I have ever had. Does stuff like this ever happen to you or am I the only one? Please tell me I am not the only one.
I am an ambassador for Life Rolls On a non-profit that raises money for spinal cord injury research. A few years ago they developed a spin-off of the organization called "They Will Surf Again". This was an event that got those with a spinal cord injury back in the ocean to learn how to surf. We quickly saw what a success and rewarding experience it was for many participants and volunteers. This year Life Rolls On wanted to create another spin-off from that called "They Will Ski Again". This event was hosted by the Eastern Sierra Disabled Sports at Mammoth Mountain. Life Rolls On sponsored the event and put all the participants up in a very nice hotel, supplied us with ski equipment, lift tickets and instructors or escorts for our day of skiing. 
I have skied since my injury and have found it to be a lot of fun but too high maintenance for me with driving to the snow, getting bundled up, pushing my wheelchair through the snow, getting in the ski, pushing to the lift and then topping it off with freezing any body parts I still have feeling of. Plus, to be honest, I am not that good at it. I would rather go wake boarding. 
After our day of skiing Life Rolls On threw a party where I ended up winning a brand new Burton snowboarding outfit. Too bad the outfit is a mens large. I knew exactly who to give it to though. My older brother Robert was such a big help to me as I prepared for the trip. Getting my snow gear down from the rafters is not something I am physically capable of doing. Robert was gracious enough to help me in this area. Even when I had forgotten to pack something he was willing to climb back up and get the item or piece of equipment I needed. This happened at least four times. Because of being such a great big brother he was well deserving of this new snowboard outfit. He was so excited when I gave it to him that he ran upstairs and tried it on. The outfit is all white except for a few dark stripes so with Robert being tall and skinny the outfit made him look like a mal-nourished Abominable Snowman. 
No longer just a line from the movie "Jerry Maguire". I experienced the real deal this last Friday when I volunteered with Ability Awareness in contributing my services to Habitat for Humanity. The build was for three houses on the same lot located in Lynwood just north of Long Beach. I was very excited to participate since I have not had the opportunity to work with Habitat for Humanity since becoming a paraplegic nearly seven years ago. I arrived with such eagerness having my protective goggles, hat and sunscreen in tow.
After orientation each volunteer was assigned to a crew leader. Bethy, a cute, tall, slender, blond girl that makes any tool belt look good became my crew leader. She then chose Mark Goffeney (www.bigtoerocks.com) as another crew member to join our team. I looked over at Mark and saw that he didn't have any arms. "Aren't we a pair" I thought to myself. Here we have a girl that can't use her legs and a man that has no arms. I knew right away that this was going to be quite the experience. Unbeknownest to me, at that same moment Mark was sizing me up as well noticing the fact that I am a female and in a wheelchair. Little did either of us know that our worlds colliding would produce an immense amount of work on the lot that day. Not to mention a different perspective.
I was put in charge of measuring and cutting the wood on the table saw and chop saw. Bethy gave me the measurements needed and I measured each piece of wood and began cutting the long 2x4's. Mark saw me struggle trying holding down the long 2x4's and he quickly jumped in to offer help. "I will just pick up the other end and level it for you." he said. I kept my eye on the wood as I fed it through the table saw I wondered how Mark picked up the slack behind me. After lining up the next long wood on the table I glanced behind me and saw Mark lifting the wood in the air with his foot. "Of course that is how he does it" I thought to myself. It was at that moment I knew we were going to make a good team. A team name then fell upon us. Team Mark, Bethy and Briana became "MB²" and we were in full effect. 
Within that first hour Mark and I were in the zone and really had a good handle on our assigned tasks. Mark would pull out the tape measure on each 1x1 to the necessary length and mark as he had the tape measure in one foot and a pencil in the other. I would then cut the wood on the chop saw. We took great pride in our work and were so pleased when Bethy gave us the thumbs up for having the measurements spot on for a perfect fit. I turned to Mark with such seriousness and said "Mark, you complete me." We both burst out laughter but knowing how true my remark was. We were a force to be reckoned with. Neither of us questioned the others ability and we continued to encourage each other with every task.
After we finished cutting the 1x1's we moved on to drilling. Mark picked up the drill with one foot and the wood with the other. He lined it up and pulled the trigger with his big toe. He controlled that drill with such ease and precise measure. When he was finished he picked up the piece of wood with his foot and placed it on my lap. I then grabbed my drill and drilled the screws into the drilled holes Mark created. We worked diligently up until lunch. Mark and I rushed over to wash my hands and his feet preparatory for our sandwiches.
After lunch we quickly got back to work. We finished up our drilling and were then assigned to cutting dry wall. It took us awhile to get settled figuring out the best way for us to do this. Our work area was on a slight slope that had me rolling all over the place. This can be dangerous when you're holding an exacto knife and cutting dry wall. Understanding this we took more precaution and re-situated our work area. After I made few incisions deeper and deeper into the dry wall Mark would bring his foot up over the top of the dry wall and forcefully step on it with his barefoot causing it to break right on the cut I had created. We knew the end of our work day was soon upon us and Mark was determined to cut a measured piece of dry wall on his own. I watched him take an exacto knife between his toes and proceed to cut along the measured line. After a few strokes he once again used his barefoot to break the piece off. Being a former cheerleader I broke out into a cheer for Mark.
Mark and I spent the whole day together and we learned a lot about each other. One thing that was apparent from the beginning is that we shared a similar sense of humor. There was a lot of laughing on the job site that day. I knew what I was capable of coming into this situation. Mark knew what he was capable of as well. Our abilities combined not only gave us the means to complete our jobs we completed each other. Our weaknesses became each others strengths. That is what teamwork is all about. 
There will not be much text in this blog entry because my arms are still recovering from this weekends bike race.
The Tour de Palm Springs is a 100 mile bike race that raises money for about 200 charities in the local community. About 8,000 cyclists participate. It was to be raining all weekend but we really lucked out with weather. It turned out to be a beautiful day perfect for riding.
Some of you may remember that I rode through the mid west last summer in the "Rise Above U.S. Bicycle Tour". This year the Rise Above Team decided to continue the tour by participating in bike races and doing a speaking tour. The Tour de Palm Springs was our first event for 2009. We had 3 hand cyclists, 1 on a trike, 1 on a recumbent and 3 mountain bikers. 
I went skiing in Mammoth the weekend before this race and my arms were still a little sore before the race began but I really over estimated my ability. I was in no shape to do this race without paying the price later. 
The race started out rough for me because within the first few miles I got a flat tire. No surprise to my team since I am the "Queen of the Flats" as they say. They pedaled on and I pulled over to repair the flat. Not a task that I enjoy so thank goodness for the "Official Event Vehicle" pulling over to repair it for me. 
My friend Seth was riding along side me and I kept him entertained with my singing of love songs. With him joining me on a few songs made those hills not so grueling. My arms had become numb the last few miles and every time I would have to stop at a stop light I would begin to have muscle spasms and they would cramp and tighten up. The pain was very overwhelming at times put I knew I had to keep going. I understand that it is a race but I came to the conclusion that I didn't start this race to win, I started this race to finish. That is exactly what I did. 
Crossing the finish line was a tremendous victory for me. It's interesting that I was in so much pain the last half mile before the finish line but as I approached the finish line and heard the cheering of the crowd, the band playing and photographers taking my photo I suddenly perked up and got a burst of energy. That didn't last very long and then all I could think about was getting back in the motor home, eating, changing out of my sweaty clothes, sleeping and dreaming of a nice hot bubble bath at home. 
