Chantal Cain
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How I Manage my Hair With Fibromyalgia

11/12/2020

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Honestly, I am spoiled. I get a lot of help with my hair. There was a time when every time I washed my hair, I would be exhausted afterwards, still happens once and a while, so I ask for someone in the house to brush my hair for me. For about a year, I have had long hair. I believe it would have been shoulder length this time last year and now it's just above my chest. My preferred hairstyle for several years has been the pixie cut and most years previous to 2010, I usually kept to bobs and chin length styles, with the exceptions of three different years that I had long hair for special occasions: 1997, 2005 & 2008.


My daughters bugged me to grow my hair long and they promised they would style it for me as long as it was grown out. Just my oldest daughter was actually helping with my hair, she would braid my bangs and pin them back when I was started college in the fall of 2019. For my birthday this year, my oldest daughter gave me that cute crimped look in my blog profile photo (she did my makeup too). In the late spring, or early summer, she started doing French braid in my hair, I love that look. When she left for college in September, my husband styled my hair a few times and I really loved the style he tried on September 13th, it was simply beautiful.

Lately, I am sick of my long hair, it's so damaged from the hair dyes I've used and I've tried reviving it but it's still broken and the color is imperfect. I am very temped to go back to a pixie style but might consider a style that is short and could easily be styled with a braid or something simple for my daughter(s) or my husband to style for me.

Styles images by my family

October 9, 2020 Styled by Sarah
September 23, 2020. Styled by Kirk
September 13, 2020. Styled by Kirk
August 13, 2020 Styled by Sarah
July 23, 2020 Styled by Sarah
February 29, 2020 Styled by Kirk
July 13, 2019 Styled by Sarah

My favorite short styles

August 10, 2019
April 8, 2018
February 26, 2018
June 30, 2017.
October 26, 2014
July 19, 2012
July 19, 2012.
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Gratitude

10/12/2020

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​I am so grateful for my educational opportunities. I am happy, I was brave enough to start college at 39 years old (September 2019). I am grateful for the students I worked with last year and the teachers who were super supportive of my limitations. I worked as hard as I could and I am proud of those grades. I became overwhelm when COVID-19 restrictions come into place while I was trying to earn my diploma and homeschool my children. I had the right support team in my husband, my mom, my children, and my fibromyalgia coach. Sad I didn't graduate with the lovely ladies I got to know in OAD 2019-2020, something better came from this, it became the time to focus on my health and growth plan. I graduated my three month program to become a certified fibromyalgia advisor. Now to focus on the next goal IWAP, class of 2022!
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Happy Soul

8/8/2020

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I barely slept last night; I was so excited that I was finally going to reunite with my best friend/my soulmate sister. It had been over ten years that we were last together. Her hugs were so big and loving, just as I remembered. We played quick rounds of "so this was my past decade", shared laughs & tears, and went for lunch together.  She and my husband were my first family, because of these two amazing people, I am the woman I am today. We promised to be together again soon, no later than one year without a visit. On the rest of our adventure that day, after we said our long goodbyes, we forgot to drive south to our two other destinations... I guess we'll have to do a second part to this tour to make up those towns/cities and get another visit with Kate. 
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Process of changes

4/24/2020

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It's been nearly a year I started blogging (simultaneously) stopped blogging; I am in the process of big changes in my life. 

Last summer, I decided that I wanted things to change in my life. I was very sad and miserable (depression and anxiety). I couldn't stand the thought of living where I was living, being in the shape I was in, and feeling like I was not contributing to my family. I enrolled in the office administration program at Canadore College.


BackToSchool2019
09/03/2019
​I put aside my funding from school to afford first and last on a new house to rent. Mid-October, we saw a listing for a house, and we were selected as tenants on October 21st. I love my new home. We are near parks and trails, we live in a quiet area, and we have wonderful neighbours.

While taking Psychology 101, I realized that I had another goal in mind for my future. I didn't feel that I would be cutout for the role as a receptionist and that I really wanted to help other women like me: women who have fibromyalgia.

In March, I was accepted in Canadore College's Indigenous Wellness and Addictions Prevention fall 2020 program.
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2018 Reflections

12/31/2018

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2018 Reflections was originally a blog post I wrote for my Blogger account,
​I decided that I would prefer all my materials in one place.

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​Today is the last day of 2018, and the first day of my new blog; tried blogging in 2009/2010 and an unfortunate situation occurred and discouraged me from continuing on and completely deleting my work. My first blog was about being a stay-at-home mother, DIY projects, crafts, and homeschooling. I did blog about being a Girl Guide leader for a while (mostly during my time as a Sparks leader). My new blog will be different this time around... more journal style and as my title of the blog indicates, that it is "a work in progress" and I am also a work in progress. I thought my first blog would be a reflection of 2018.
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2018 had many ups and downs and I wanted to share some of those highlights/low blows:

Photo 1, Katie with her Girl Guide cookie throne.

Many wonderful Girl Guide events happened Thanks to Cookies. Katie sells 80 cases of GGC cookies every year, and because she is such a hard working entrepreneur she received camping opportunities (Bonita Glen & Ecology center), a trip to Ottawa for a Rosie Revel themed sleepover, and earned a reward that she used to purchase her very own roller blades and safety gear.

Photo 2, Miley

I adopted Miley on March 29th. She is such a treasure. She has been my therapy dog. She is one of the biggest highlights from my year. I am grateful for her company when times are tough, when I can't sleep through the night, and when I am ill.

Photo 3, Our family portrait

This photo was taken after David's grade 6 graduation, that week, we decided that the smaller children would be attending public school and all three children would be in different schools/starting new adventures.

Photo 4, David the pitcher

I love a good baseball game, especially when David is the pitcher or the catcher. I get the best photos of him thanks to the sports setting on my camera! I love David's spirit, he is always encouraging others and trying his best at whatever he gets involved with... good job Boo.

Photo 5, Rosco and Katie

On July 13th, Katie said goodbye to her cat before she left for Mom & Me camp at Doe Lake, while she was away, Rosco passed away after being sick for several months. Rosco was not alone when he passed, Sarah stayed by his side comforting him and keeping him warm and cozy in the dog's bed. I believe Rosco waited until Katie was gone for the weekend to let go. Katie coped with the news very maturely and knew her pet was no longer suffering. She prepared funeral arrangements and we said our final goodbyes on July 18th

Photo 6, Rainboots on the floating dock

I was fortunate for the opportunity to work at Camp Adelaide again this summer. My contract started 36 hours after my volunteer gig at Camp Woolsey. I had to rush home, repack, celebrate our wedding anniversary, sleep, and rush to Haliburton. I got to work with the most amazing young women; it was a pleasure to help, assist, and share (my story with) them.
One (LOL moment) highlight would defiantly be the day I said during a safety staff Sunday meeting that "I have never seen a bear here in the 6 years I have worked at Adelaide" and then saw a cub on my rounds before the campers arrived for their week.
I knew this would possibly be my last summer at Adelaide (I thought last summer was the last one but fate changed that), I took the opportunity to visit sites that I had not had the chance to enjoy on my previous volunteer job or as a camper. I took a few super special photos at camp and I said my goodbye to my camp/my home/my dreams.

*Adelaide will be closing in 2019, and will not run summer camping program.

Photo 7, Kirk & CeCe

For our 20th anniversary, we drove to the place where we meet and had a few photos taken together in the yard of the wedding hall. We had our first kiss at the fence in the yard, and we posed there for our picture.

Photo 8, Sarah/"when in Rome"

Sarah is gone to Italy for the school year as a Rotary Student exchange. In November 2017, we found out that she was accepted and in February she found out her country. She has worked very hard to earn this opportunity and I am super proud of her. This is one of many favorite photos of her in Italy, this one is an inside joke, and she looks so beautiful.

Photo 9, Room #2

Oh, room #2 at my doctor's office I have spent many hours sitting there... so many appointments, so many referrals, so many blood work requisitions, so many x-rays, one CT scan, and one MRI later I finally received my diagnosis on November 27th.

I just wanted to add a few more photos to this post

Thankful for Right Brain Child; I get to bring my child to be creative and sometimes. I’m lucky enough to play teacher and get creative too. And a funny boss who runs with a good joke… “Chontelle”
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I was fortunate to work another summer at camp Adelaide.
I am grateful for the time I worked alongside some amazing women…
I was reunited with Nessie & Synapse for their volunteer weekends.
I saw Pelican grow over the 3 summers she worked at Adelaide;
take the time to jump in the puddles and enjoy the adventure, my friend.
Before I left camp on my last night,
I gave boxes of Girl Guide cookies to the women who travelled overseas to work with us at Adelaide,
you will always hold a special place in my heart…
camp life is hard but so rewarding when you are lucky enough with women like them.
I can’t wait for my Shutterfly artwork to arrive and that
I can add my Ontario camping 2018 badge to the frame.
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After an internal struggle throughout the summer, I resigned from my positions with GGC on August 27th.
I am very sad that I wasn’t able to finish my term, but I am grateful for the training sessions and
​the opportunities being ACL provided me.
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Speaking of Girl Guide opportunities… we got to be Happy Campers at three different
Girl Guide Ontario camps this year. And one special event in Ottawa…that reunited me with
my best friend Elf. I am grateful for that small amount of time we were able to reconnect
​and it honestly rejuvenated my soul.
Waiting and testing and visiting doctors/specialists and hospitals, etc. was the hardest part…
not knowing what was wrong was agony.
Currently in mindfulness therapy and started physiotherapy for my knee…
Able to sleep now thanks to the sleep clinic’s diagnosis and
trying to live and cope with depression & anxiety and being diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
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    AUTHOR

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    Chantal \shahn~ TAHL\
    A devastating beauty with a fiery personality. Part lover, part fighter.
    Chantals know how to make it rain. ​​Your life is incomplete if you lack a Chantal. A completely magical girl.
    - Urban Dictionary
    CeCe Lashbrook
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