What started off as a terrible week, ended on a High thanks to my very special cousin Leanne!!!

Well I have finally found the time to sit down and write about my week!! I hope you're sat down with a cuppa because it's been a long week, full of lots of up's and downs!! Today i'm knacked, you'll understand why!!

So Friday evening my poor mummy had to go to A&E, after 8 longs hours, we finally had an answer to what was causing the terrible pain she was in, it was a kidney stone, one that had gone on a little adventure and left the kidney and was stuck in the tube.  Painkillers slowly slowly started to dull the pain for my mum and she was able to get some rest, the 8 hours of pain for me and my dad though was dulled, it was just made worse with worry.  At 1am she was admitted and we were finally able to leave her knowing she was in safe hands and had a bed for the night, not just a trolley in a corridor.  The next day we were back up the hospital visiting and my mum had started to have temperatures, i was quite impressed with how fast the urology registrar acted, the temperatures ment though my mum had kidney infection now and they needed to put in a drain.  Which they did very fast that evening and moved her to the urology ward where she has been all week.  Waiting for the infection to clear and hoping the stone might pass, but no such luck yet so tomorrow (monday) they plan to put in a stent.  

So not only have I spent the week visiting my mum everyday, I've been visiting Aaron a few times (it was his Birthday) and nipping up there for lung function etc myself.  It always seems to be that when anyone in my family is in hospital, me n my little lungs need attention too, my lung function not too good, so i'm hoping upping my Steroids and Cipro will sort me out, but if i want that too work, i need rest for the next few days.  

This Photo is from my wedding of me and Aaron xx

Sometimes I hate CF, but it's not a healthy was too live, when I saw Aaron on his Birthday last Sat i was quite upset, he'd only a few days before had his operation for his kidney stone to be removed and was feeling pretty rough, broke my heart that whilst me and his lovely girlfriend Cara (who i normally refer to as Zippy because apparently she's really chatty, but goes very shy n quiet when i'm around) were visiting him he hardly had the energy to open his pressies.  For his tea, the strange boy just fancied some McDonalds Bacon on a Bun!! We all know they don't do bacon burgers.  Luckily it's not what you know in this life it's who!! His cousin wasn't working in Mcdonalds that day, but there were people there who knew of Aaron. So with the help of two cute girls (Me n Cara) a tiny little sob story and a little note from Aaron.  We returned back to the hospital with a FREE Bacon Bun and Coke for the Birthday Boy.  

When i saw Aaron on Tuesday though after a rough weekend he looked a lot better, so this time i took him to Mcdonalds with me to get him out of hospital for an hour, i ended up dropping him off at the local car garage for him to go test drive a new car too, but i couldn't wait around for him as i had a meeting so i had to ask the lady at the car place if she could take him back to the hospital afterwards.  It was only few mins up the road so after I played the CF card she soon obliged.

So yes, i went to a Meeting, me and Emily my Breath of Life (change the world) partner in Crime were going to the Breath of Life Commitee meeting, to meet everyone and to tell them all about our ideas.  Not to be big headed, but they loved us, fresh blood, young blood and were so pleased how both of us wanted to get involved.  We stayed for the whole meeting it was really lovely to learn all about the charity and how it works and what's going on, other than the parts that i've been planning.  My skydive this week has had 3 more people interested, which is great and 4 of my other interested people have signed up.  So it's all going good.  My pub crawl plans are on hold right now, too much stress going on, but i'm off work next week and plan to get it all sorted out and ready for Friday night.

This week so happened to be my busiest week in a long time and it doesn't stop there, sadly on the sunday morning Steve's nan passed away.  She had been poorly for about 12 months with Cancer which we knew wasn't going to get better but she sadly had a stroke at the weekend.  The funeral is on Tuesday, so it will be good to get together with his family to give her a lovely send off.  

These photos were taken Christmas 2006!! :)

Wednesday was a relatively simple day, i went to work and to visit my mum in hospital and also planned my thursday night!! My lovely cousin came to town in her tour of the play THE NAKED TRUTH!! Which if you haven't seen you should so go and see, its brilliant and so funny.  

http://www.theatre-productions.com/shows/the-naked-truth/

It stars, my cousin Leanne Jones, Michelle Heaton, Claire King, Julie Buckfield and Maurine Nolan.  I went to see it in October with my family, not the easiest thing to watch when sat next to my grandma, but she laughed her head off, even when Leanne was been naughty little lee lee saying lots of rude things.

I'm very proud of my cousin, she was the star of Hairspray and played Tracey for a few years on the West End and won an Olivier Award.  I went to see Hairspray 3 or 4 times down in London, i think if i'd of been closer i'd of been there all the time.  I love watching her on stage and Hairspray was an amazing musical.  Now she is touring till June in Naked Truth, playing a witty and funny character called Bev.  Not the girl i grew up with that's for sure.  So Thursday night me and my brother went with my CF friends, Emma and Aaron, i took them for there Birthday Treats.

The show was brilliant, even more funny than i had remembered, in the second half, we moved to 4 empty seats on the very front row.  Which was for my brother in scenes a little too close for comfort, when my Leanne's bum was in his face, but there was no complaining when Michelle Heaton was doing a sexy pole dance.

Me, Emma and Aaron with Michelle Heaton

We all had a great night and after the show we met a few of the cast and got some photos and went for a drink with Leanne.  Which was lovely.

Me and Em with Claire King 

Friday, i rushed around like a mad little hatter, visited my mum, went to pharmacy, delivered information packs to my newly interested skydivers and visited my Auntie Vera to give her her Birthday present, its been a week full of birthdays for me, with Aaron, Emma, my Auntie and Leanne's too.  Which was perfect timing for her tour coming to Stoke.  On the thursday night Leanne had asked me and my brother Andy if we wanted to join her and the cast for her Birthday drinks on Friday night in Revolution after the show.  Of course we said yes, who gonna say no to hanging with a few stars xx

So we met Leanne at the Stage Door of the Regent Theatre at 10pm and went off to Revolution, Michelle Heaton had reserved the table and was the cast already there.  It was so lovely and relaxed, inside I was like a little 5 year old at Christmas and I think if my brother was honest too, so was he!! but we contained how excitement and had a wicked night having shots and pitchers and loving spending some time with Leanne too.

Here's a few photos xxx

Leanne, Me and My Brother Andy

Group Photo xx :)

I'd been a bit worried before the night, obviously i wanted to act cool, but i also wanted to take photos, not every night u get to go for Birthday drinks with your cousin and her famous friends xx :) x I'm the kinda girl who always has my camera and likes to take lots of photos, i'm definitely my daddy's daughter!! xx  But luckily for me Leanne didn't have her Camera and just like the last night in Hairspray at the aftershow party she hired me as her photographer and told everyone to pose lots for my camera!! :) xx

Even managed a couple of what i like to call "Joey Specials" xx 

And my Brother even got the snap that her was after all night xxx Well i don't suppose you can blame him!!

So that was my night, think the photos show we had a brilliant time and everyone was so lovely to us.  

I have actually met Michelle Heaton once before at the Caudwell Ball about 4 years ago, i was a volunteer and was lucky enough to be invited down to London to help with the Ball.  Tina Turner made her first come back that night, it was a shame I wasn't allowed to walk around with my camera that night because I saw lots of stars then.  I actually took Michelle and her now Ex-husband to get there bags at the end of the night and she was walking with me complaining how Andy was more of a woman, could never get him out of anywhere because he just kept talking to people.  :) x See it's not just us woman who like a good natter!!

So saturday i thought i had planned a morning in bed catching up with TV, the soaps and i love watching the Biggest Loser USA on a Saturday morning.  However one of the girls, Mandy from the naked truth was in the Potteries Centre Clothes Show and i knew they would be wearing Monsoon Clothes as I kinda helped Mandy and Emma pick a few items out for the show!! So i decided to go down and watch.  The night before i had told Mandy to pick out the Jump Suit if she got to chose cuz she looked so good.  It was also another to chance to hang out with Leanne and family and a few stars.  The clothes show was quite good really, i got my camera out and took some photos of the Mandy and the others wearing the Monsoon outfits.  Which my boss Tracey wants me to get developed now.

I then met my lovely friends Steph and Gem and we went into Monsoon so i could but a new maxi dress for uniform, but they ended up in changing rooms too trying things on and then at the tills took advantage of my lovely discount. :) x

Then in evening I took Gem, Steph and my friend Emma from Monsoon to see Naked Truth, you know i think i could of watched it every night this week and still not got bored of it, i laughed all the way through xx

I also made them have photos, i'm a little sad, just because i'm so proud of Leanne.  I still well up at the end of the shows, i'm very loud and give a lot of woo hoo's!!! Even shouting "Love you leanne" at top of my voice.  Which i didn't have to shout to loud this time because we sat on front row all the way though the show this time!! But all the cast looked and smiled at me this time when i screamed it at the top of my voice!! hee hee xx 

So after the show, I met Leanne at the stage door and then dropped my friends off at home and gave Leanne a lift to a party, it was a family friend and it was his 30th, but I also went to school with his sister, so i decided to go in with her, my Uncle and Mags were there too.  It was lovely to see Ashley as i've probably not seen her for at least 8 years.  It was lovely to meet her little baby too, Esme and she's so cute xxx

So that was my Saturday night.  What started off as a week i truely would of loved to forget turned out to be a week to remember thanks to my very special cousin Leanne Jones.  Thank you for treating me, making me laugh in ur show and letting me share it all with my friends.  Thank you for making me smile this week.  

I love you lots Leanne xxx Although you probably won't love me lots for this last photo xx But i like it xx :)

"Joey The Kangaroo"

Well today i was feeling a little bit low, considering it's been my week off work i've been way more busy that normal.  Think today paired with getting up early to take my nan to the doctors, my little body is telling me i need a rest.  After the doctors i went for some tlc, Steve's mum is a nail technician, when I first got with Steve i had the worst nails ever, i had bitten them for years, i even remember when i started biting them, it was assembly is about year 3, biting my nails really helped to pass the time whilst Mr Darlington droned on and on about a load of rubbish.  So i didn't have any nails left at all, but once Steve's mum had done them once with extensions i was well untruely hooked on having pretty nails.  So for last 4 and half years, every two weeks I go on a friday morning for my nails with my now mother in law!! lol, there was a reason I married Steve you see!! Pretty Nails! xx My nails are now all my own and i love them, i try my best to look after them, Pat does tell me off when i've not looked after them and they're chipped or not got any gel left on but occassionally i surprise her.  Even though my nails are all grown now i still have the Gel overlay, one because they look so pretty and two my health means that sometimes when i'm unwell my nails become very weak and break alot.  This a photo of the nails I had for my wedding!! So pretty!! This is how i have them all time, i change the colours though, to match outfits, handbagsm coats and things, what ever my craze is at the time really, you should know by now i'm little miss match it!!

So I guess you wondering why i called this blog, "Joey the Kangaroo" and so far i've gone on about my pretty nails.  Well like i said i was feel a little low today, CF belly ache, lack of food and in the rush this morning i hadn't taken my steroids first thing, so i was still waiting for them to kick in.  I tend to rely alot on my daily dose of steroids for that boast to get me through the day.  It's one drug as a child I really didn't take properly, but now I pretty much rely on and have to take every morning around 10 or 11ish to get me through my day.  They also help give me an appetite, make sure i eat my main meal at night.  When i'm not well and my dose in increased I proper get the munchies, i have to carry chocolate bars and crisps in my bag for mid afternoon snacks and i struggle to get through my four hour shift at work because i'm thinking about food.  Normally me and the thought of food just don't even live on the same planet.  I don't generally get hungry, i have to force breaky down me each day, quite often i got to work and go till tea time just having had a couple of biscuits in my tea.

Today when i got home from nails, i was feeling quite weak, so i came in, picked up the post and headed straight for the fridge for the bacon, turned the grill on and got the tinned tomatoes out.  Put the toast in the toaster ready and then whilst bacon was cooking i opened my post.  I wasn't expecting a parcel, i have been good and even though la senza and new look have been emailing me all week with there 50% offers and free delivery i had resisted, which if you know me was very difficult. lol.  But surprising the parcel was for me!! With a lovely little note inside sayin

"I saw this and thought of you"

So this kinda explains the "Joey the Kangaroo"!! This started at school really, I used to have this hoodie coat with a zip in the post, wouldn't be seen dead in it now, but was so cool at the time!! lol x Everyday my mum would send me to school with chocolate and sweets to eat a break time, now it seems daft that i didn't sell them for a profit, i was obviously not born a sales woman about to take over the world with a business enterprise! In fact u can see why i'm not into charity work, cuz i always gave my goodies away for free! Occassionally i'd even swap them for some of Ashley's bran flakes!! It was like i was allergic to any food with calories in!! lol.  Actually I blame my mum for that too, as a young child i was sent to infants school was mars bars and forced to eat them buy the dinner ladies and a horrible little tupperware beaker full of orange juice with maxijul in it, it was horrible, it was sticky and always leaked too.  I was never allowed to go out to play till i had drunk it, most day's i'd make it outside just as the bell rang to come back in! I'm sure the exercise would be just as good for me, i so wasn't quick enough to argue that case as a child.  I was always last to leave the dinning room too, my best friend Larah's mum was a dinner lady and so was her mum's best friend so between Pat and Val there was always someone watching over me to make sure i'd eaten all my dinner, they just didn't understand I don't like carrots!! lol

So back to today, i love been called Joey by my family and friends.  When I met the lovely Naomi at university she was on the same course as my friend Amelie, who i'd know from when I was 11 at high school, not really liked till i was 15, she cried alot and i always used to think, Christ god help her if she had CF, she cries at like everything.  HT lessons though in Year 10/11 and we actually became quite good friends, we went to college together and then to university in Chester.  Also our friend Melanie too, she was part of our group from school, who went to college and then uni.  So I met Naomi, she was tall, blonde, big boobs and holding a pint, next to me, small, tiny boobs and couldn't even get my little hands around a pint! Straight away i knew we'd be great friends.  lol.  One of first nights out together was Halloween, christ we all look different from then!! Thank god, in my case though! Contacts and dark hair, made a hell of difference to little Joey!!

Naomi or Gnome as i always called her, always called me Joey, we had a module to together in the second semester of first year, i managed to sort it to hire her as my note taker!! Yes i had a note taker at uni.  It's kind of a funny story, I had an assesment before i started uni, my mission was to try get a free laptop so as when i was in hospital or ill i could still do my work!! Mission was successful, but in the test i was asked to draw a tree!! Which i drew like, Tree 1, which he then said, have you ever looked out the window at a tree and thought it looks like a trunk with a green cloud on top of it!! He then drew a tree similar to Tree 2. He then explained how I had drawn a very simple tree the kind that was exceptable what I was at infants school, but it was a good job i wasn't doing art as a degree, can u believe the cheek!! By the way how hard is it to draw on paint these days!! lol hense the really lame drawing, but hey they were needed to explain my point!! lol.

He then asked to list a 5 essential items i would need if i was even stranded on a desert island.
Of course the girl that can't live with out tea, thought i was been clever and listed,

TEA BAGS, MILK, KETTLE, POT NOODLES, MOBILE PHONE!!

Well u can imagine his reaction to that, to make a cup of tea or a pot noodle, i needed water.  I also needed power for my kettle.  My milk would go off, because of the heat and my mobile i would have no battery.

Again, Simple minded, but hey i got my a laptop, a printer, £350 a year to pay for expenses for my printer, paper, cartridges etc.  I also got a note taker, who was paid £9 quid a hour and who went every lecture with me, took all my notes, so all i had to do was sit and twiddle with my pen.  If i was hungover and couldnt get to my lecture, it was ok, my note taker went! It was brilliant.  To be fair i do think i have a problem, you know when lecture saying something, i'd be trying to write it down but then i'd be thinking what i was writing and end up not hearing the next bit to write down.  It was something i noticed about myself at school as teachers always wrote everything on the board anyway for you to copy.  The note taker was great, brilliant for when i was in hospital, didnt need to rely on friends, but when i was in this lecture with Gnomie i realised she could be paid for going to her own lectures, so it was win win!! Talk about buying your friends hey.

While we were in the boring lecture, i can't even remember the subject, i used to sit and write letters to Gnomie.  I'd start them Dear Gnome and draw a picture of a Garden Gnome, i'd write a load of gobbledy gook and then i'd sign it love Joey the Kangaroo!! xxx Even since then, every birthday, christmas card or letter has been written from me to the Gnome in this way.  When we lived together in second and third year, quite off as her Brocoli pasta was boiling over on the stove, i'd scream up the stairs "Garden" xx It just kinda stuck and she's always called me Joey, sometimes with a Joey the Kangaroo!! So now you probably understand in a very round about way why this DVD came in the post from a very lovely friend today and really made a girl smile.

Photo of me and the Gnome from my Wedding!

Me and the Gnome at her Wedding!!!

Thanks to everyone who has read my blog so far, here's a little more!!

I just wanted to thank everyone who has read my blog over the last few days and sent me a message.  I would love it if you could all follow my blog, saves me putting it all over facebook in a million different places to make sure you can all see it.  It's simple to follow just click the button on the top right hand side and it takes you through what you have to do, it would be lovely to get a good following.

So many of my lovely friends on Facebook keep "liking" my link, which is great but you actually have to click the link to read and follow my blog. Lol xx

Anyway enough of that, you know what to do now!!! xx

So now to what have i been up to since i released my blog to the world on Monday.  Well it's been full steam ahead with my fundraising ideas.  I have designed some coolish posters with the help of my friend Amy Baker who also has CF, she came up with two wicked slogans for my posters, going with the Gangster theme and thinking along the lines of the Breath of Life gangster mob coming to rob you of all your money.  Amy came up with two fantastic slogans for money.

"Your money or your Life, give to Breath of Life!" and "This is a Stick Up, So Cough Up and Give to the Breath of Life Gangsters".

I'm no computer genius so my posters are just designed on publisher, but i think they'll do the trick!!

After designing my lovely Posters I then sat and rang all the Pubs I plan on terrorising on the night.  I asked to speak to all the managers and had a brilliant response, they all said it would absolutely fine, just have a couple to call back or nip down and speak to.  So as soon as I have it all confirmed i'll let you know my planned route.  However it will be starting in Meir Park at the Weathervane Pub and going round the back route through Trentham towards Newcastle, hopefully finishing at the Cherry Tree.  To this i'm obviously relying heavily on my close friends so if anyone wants to join us please just let me know!!

If you read other areas of my blog you'll know i'm fundraising for a Cystic Fibrosis Project set up with Breath of Life which is a local Respiratory Charity in Staffordshire.  With all this fundraising I hope to raise awareness for the Charity, they do alot of work helping people with Respiratory conditions, not just CF.  Please check out there new website http://www.breathoflife.org.uk/ for more details and join their Facebook Page and Twitter, they need more followers, it so easy to do, just click the links in my page.  It's all about raising awareness.

Breath of Life are always looking for people to help raise money and the awareness of their charity, so if you wanna set your self a challenge this year then why not do it for Breath of Life.  I have a friend called Vicky who going to be doing the Great Salford Swin 2011, this involves a mile swim in Salford Quays between the docks.  Vicky is doing this challenge to raise money for Breath of Life.  I also have a few people who are going to the Potters Alf Marathon, even one of my friends with CF might be signing up for that, she's planning on dressing up, walking and taking her time, her mum even joked about taking a wheelbarrow, for if she gets tired and then they could dress as Bill and Ben.  I said if it was round an indoor shopping mall i'd be there in a second, i always manage to walk round and round one of them, but outside, with hills etc it would be a bit of a struggle for me!! but maybe that's my next fundraising idea.  An indoor shopping mile trek.  Christ i'm writing my new ideas in my blog, don't any of you go stealing that one!! It's mine!! lol xx Hmmmm, brain overload now!!  There's also my Skydive, if anyone fancies doing a Tandem Skydive on Saturday 2nd July, please contact me, for more details.  So anyway like I said if you've got an idea or want to join in, then be great if you could do something for Breath of Life.  It's a great little Charity.

If your unable to get involved, but would like to donate, you could sponsor my husband Steve on his Skydive through his JustGiving page.  Steve is going one step further and doing an Accelerated Freefall, this means he going to do a course and then will be landing himself, ie there's no person attached to him.

Today, along with a hospital visit for bloods, i've been for a meeting at Breath of Life, with Emily, Emily's uncle has CF and we're both set about changing the world, we want to try and get Breath of Life more well known and get more people involved in helping the charity out.  So i have myself a little partner in crime in my mission to change the world.

Think that's all for now!! Kind of a bit of Charity overload for you all to read today.  But that's what this blog is about, me, my CF and how I want to get really involved in Fundraising.

xxx

I think i'm ready to release Little Miss to the world!!

So I've not actually told anyone except Sophie about this Blog, i wanted it to be ready before i realised it for everyone to read, but i've kinda realised tonight that's not what a blog is all about!!


So here it is, this is Me so far and all my little miss personalities. I hope you'll follow it and i won't bore you too much with my little life!!


I'm off work this week and need to start planning my fundraising night! I want to organise a bar crawl in Stoke on Trent, raising money for Breath of Life CF Project.  I trying to get a group of friends and my monsoon girlies together, dressed up as gangsters, going round with charity buckets robbing all the punters of the money!! xx I been asking my friends to come up with suggestions for a slogan for the poster i need to design this week.  My friend Amy has come up with a couple of good ones "your money or ur life, give to Breath of Life" or "This is a Stick up so Cough up for Breath of Life"! xx Which i didn't quite understand at first, but apparently i need to go watch a few gangster movies.  I quite like it now i understand it, so my next job to design a cool poster and get calling the pubs up on my planned route to see if they will allow my gangsters to come rob there punters.  My friend Vicky Blood did one last year raising money for Donna Lousie, she said they had a great night so i'm hoping mine will be too, Vicky been helping me so fingers crossed.  


This week i also need to try and get the rest of my skydivers to book there places, I'm organising a Skydive on 2nd July and i'm trying to get 20 people to jump on the day.  Should be a great way to raise some money for the CF Project, so far 7 of my jumpers have booked there place!! I have a few more who i'm hunting down over the next few weeks to get them booked up and deposits paid.  My husband is doing it and i'm fundraising for him, i managed to get £70 yesterday from family and my dad's friends at his birthday.  I've given all my skydivers a target of £400 but i'll love to get about £600 for Steve, especially as i'm the organiser i've got an example to set, so please sponsor him if you have any spare money xx 
http://www.justgiving.com/Steve-Hughes1986 xx


Right well i'm off to bed now, need my energy for all this planning tomorrow!


Night!!! xxx

My Blog

Heelllooo!! 


Welcome to my "Little Miss Blog" 


I've only just started this Blog and i'm trying to set up my pages so people can find out more about me!! So please read my pages!! My blog will start soon!!!


I like to think there is more to me that just one "Little Miss" so hense the page names so far:


"Little Miss Me", "Little Miss CF" and "Little Miss Fundraiser" xxx


Watch this space for more "Little Miss's" xx