Over the years I have profiled bloggers from the Northwest Territories to the Fraser Valley, anyone that interests me and that I hope will interest you as well. A few years ago I started asking a standard set of questions and after hearing about some unique bloggers around Vancouver recently, I decided to revive the series. Enjoy!
Codi Darnell of Help Codi Heal
Website: Help Codi Heal | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
How long has your blog been around?
After my accident in March 2016, my friends started the hashtag #helpcodiheal. I began to give short updates on my recovery process through Facebook and Instagram using this hashtag. As the months went on, my updates were getting longer and I started to feel like I didn’t have the correct platform. I’ve been sharing my journey on helpcodiheal.com since January 2017.
What is your role?
Help Codi Heal is my personal project. I do all of the writing and design. I have a friend who edits some of my posts for me and helps me with some of the technical set-up.
What does your site do/what is it about?
My blog focuses on my life as a woman, wife and mom with a twist: a spinal cord injury. I write about all aspects of my life and how it has and has not changed with the addition of this disability. I try to find humor within a lot of the struggles and use sarcasm to my advantage. I want to ease the tension of the reader and truly show them what it is like to be me.
What can people see, read, and do when visiting your site?
When someone visits my blog they will get an honest look at what life is like for me and my family. You will get to know some of the lesser known truths about living with a spinal cord injury and how we overcome the obstacles of life in a wheelchair. I like to showcase some of the adaptations we have made to our life in order for me to be independent.
A lot of people don’t have much, or any, experience in their lives with people who have a disability and the unknown can be hard to imagine. I always hope that someone who visits my site will leave with fewer misconceptions of people with spinal cord injuries and a better understanding of our capabilities
Why do you blog?
As cliché as it sounds, I first started blogging (even before my injury) because I love to write. After my injury, it helped me to process all of the emotions and learning experiences that came with my sudden paralysis.
“My family was, and is, my motivation to take my life back; I survive on them, sarcasm, white wine, popcorn and good conversation.”
Through the feedback I would get I discovered that, in the process of blogging, I was teaching people about living life with a disability and opening their eyes to a world they didn’t know anything about.
It is also really rewarding to have someone write to me and tell me that I helped them in their recovery in some way. In short, I write to heal and I write to spread awareness.
What is the ultimate goal for your site, how would you like to see it grow?
When I first started Help Codi Heal it was all about coping. Now I find that reaching people and helping to change the misconceptions that are out there about disabilities and the people who live with them is a large part of my healing.
I would love to talk more about the accessibility of events and attractions in the Lower Mainland in order to help other families who travel around with a wheelchair in tow. And as I learn things, I want to continue to share them in the hopes that they might help someone else.
Follow
Follow Codi on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Read all entries in my Blogger Profile series and feel free to suggest a blogger for possible feature in the comments of this post.
Miss604 and The Wine Syndicate are pleased to present a new bi-weekly series to help you gear up for the weekend in style. Weekend Wine will showcase new-to-you wineries, familiar favourites, and perfect pairings that you can pick up at your local purveyor.
Weekend Wine Selection
Jackson Estate Stich Sauvignon Blanc
- $19.99 retail at BC Liquor Stores
- From vineyards in Marlborough, New Zealand
The Jackson family came to New Zealand in 1842 on the Martha Ridgeway from Runnymede in England. In 1855 Adam Jackson bought the first blocks of land in the heart of the Marlborough region, along with what would become known as Jacksons Road. Fast forward to 1990 and Jo and John Stichbury released the first ever Jackson Estate wine. The launch of the 2010 vintage wines marks 20 years of quality winemaking. The family is pioneers of not only the Marlborough region but the NZ wine industry.
Tasting & Pairing Notes
The Jackson Estate Stich Sauvignon Blanc is a terrific value for a New Zealand sauvignon blanc for under $20. It has light and lively citrus notes, and I would pair it with anything you’d sprinkle with a bright squeeze of lemon, like simply cooked seafood (baked or grilled) or fresh shucked oysters.
I would also pick up some local tomatoes (at the Vancouver Farmers Market Tomato Festival this weekend) and make a crisp and juicy salad to pair with the wine’s charming level of acidity and fruitiness.
Where to Buy
The Jackson Estate Stich Sauvignon Blanc is retailing at the special price of $16.99 until September 2 at BC Liquor Stores, it’s regularly $19.99.
Please enjoy responsibly. Must be 19+.
It’s the last weekend of August and we’re oh so close to back to school, however there are plenty of events and activities on the calendar that can keep you in summer vacation mode for just a while longer. Enjoy the final Movies Under the Stars event in Holland Park on Saturday, a free festival in Port Coquitlam, PNE concerts, market events, even something for the pets. All of these events and more are listed below:
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green.
Friday, August 25, 2017
Fridays on Front, New Westminster
Music at the Cannery
Lynn Valley Concert Series
Free Outdoor Dance Event @ Robson Square
Picnics on the Point at Canada Place
Vancouver Tap Dance Festival
Illumination Summer Night Market, Richmond
Richmond Night Market
Shipyards Night Market North Vancouver
PNE Concert: Chicago
Summer Fort Festival at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival
Vagabond Players Present: Love’s Labour’s Lost
Crave Burnaby Heights Neighbourhood Dining Showcase
CBC Musical Nooner Concert Series Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
I have some work tools that I’ve used for over a decade; my trusty 21-inch upright roller-board suitcase that has been on 3 continents, my backup battery pack to keep my devices charged, and my old Nikon that has covered the Olympics, the Women’s World Cup, and followed me up mountains and across seas.
It’s my camera that has been put to the test the most so when Best Buy invited me to participate in their Upgrade Your Life promotion, I thought of something that would really upgrade my content production. I decided on the Nikon D5600 DSLR, that would fit perfectly into my gear line-up and still suit the collection of Nikon lenses I have amassed over the years.
To amp up my upgrade even more, I was paired with local professional photographer Shayd Johnson to learn all about my new tool. Moving from “auto” mode on my camera to aperture mode, shutter priority mode, and manual mode took my camera skills up another notch.
Words of Wisdom
Shayd offered so many great tips for photography, here are my top 5 takeaways: Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
The Fraser Valley is right in our backyard and it’s full of farm-fresh goodies, unique dining options, refreshing lakes, beautiful hikes, and live entertainment. It’s a summer playground that’s more accessible than even, especially if you’re taking a day trip in a hybrid vehicle.
I drove 375km the other day from West Vancouver to Port Coquitlam, and out to the Othello Tunnels in Hope, BC, in a Toyota Prius. Stopping for lunch, to shop at markets, and at the drive-through corn booth in Agassiz, I returned to the North Shore with an impressive fuel economy reading of 3.9L/100km. This means that for all the driving I did, I topped up the gas tank with just $14 of fuel.
I have put together three itineraries for you to explore yourself, and if you’re in a hybrid, it could cost you less than 3 cents/kilometre for an action-packed day of fun. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
