News

HALLOWEEN

WE CELEBRATED HALLOWEEN SAT., AT OUR CHURCH’S TRUNK OR TREAT. THE ENTIRE FAMILY LOOKED GREAT (ZACH’S “COUCH POTATO” HAD A CHIPS BAG 2 COLLECT TREATS, JESS HAD KILLER SKELETON MAKE-UP, SOPH HAD GREAT HAIR & OUTFIT, MK WAS A HANDSOME KNIGHT, & I WAS A QUEEN IN HER THRONE)..

AS 4 ME: THERE R JUST SO MANY COSTUMES THAT R COOL & UNIQUE 2 A W/C, I’M LIKE A LITTLE KID, WHO MISSED THEIR CHILDHOOD, SO I HAVE A HARD TIME NOT DOING THEM. I WAS GOING 2 DRESS IN SOMETHING SIMPLE, BUT MERELY MENTIONED THAT I WANTED 2 BE A QUEEN IN HER THRONE (I JOKE I AM 1, SINCE I’M FED, POTTIED, SPECIAL ACCOMODATIONS R MADE 4 ME, ETC.–IT’S A LOT MORE FUN 2 THINK THAT WAY, INSTEAD OF ANY OTHER WAY!), & MK WENT OUT & MADE IT. HE BLEW ME AWAY–IT WAS WAY MORE ELABORATE & BEAUTIFUL THAN I HAD EXPECTED! I’M 1 LUCKY GIRL!

& NOTICE, MK WAS A KNIGHT, NOT A KING. VERY APPROPRIATE, SINCE KNIGHTS SERVE THE QUEEN! LOL &, IF I NEED HELP OR AM SCARED, MK COMES 2 MY RESCUE, & MY HEAD ALWAYS IS SAYING THXS 2 MY “KNIGHT IN SHING ARMOR”-I REALLY CALL HIM THAT!

I TOTALLY ALSO WANTED A RED CARPET OR ROSE PETALS ON MY RAMP, BUT NO 1 WOULD C IT, SO, I WAS SATISFIED BY THE TREATS BEING PLACED AT MY FEET, SO EVERY1 HAD 2 KNEEL B4 THE QUEEN–LOL

LINK

THIS IS A BIG DEAL ON 1 OF MY 2 STROKE GROUPS (1 GROUP IS DEDICATED 2 THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN LOCKED IN). Dr. De Georgia WAS MY 1ST DOCTOR . Dr. De Georgia IS ON THIS LINK:
http://news.aol.com/article/ron-houben-says-he-heard-everything-for/780187

IN THE LINK, THEY MENTION LETTING OTHERS KNOW IF U CAN LIVE THAT WAY…I WOULD CAUTION HERE, BECUZ IF IT HAD BEEN EXPLAINED 2 ME PRIOR 2 MY STROKE, I HESITATE 2 THINK WHAT I WOULD’VE WANTED. THE LADY WHO DIED IN 2005–I WAS ALL 4 LETTING HER DIE, IF SHE WANTED 2…IT’S NO DIFFERENT THAN BEING ABLE 2 SLIT YOUR WRISTS. THOSE WHO R DIFFERENT SHOULD STILL HAVE THEIR OPTIONS…

BUT NOW THAT I’VE “ADAPTED” & FOUND JOY IN MY LIFE, I’VE DONE A 180. I’M GRATEFUL MY LIFE WAS SPARED, & SOOO VERY GRATEFUL 4 ANYTHING I RE-GAIN. I GUESS THOSE OF US WHO EXPERIENCE SUCH A DRAMATIC CHANGE NEED TIME 2 “ACCLIMATE” B4 MAKING A LIFE-CHANGING DECISION. PLUS, EACH DECISION IS UNIQUE, INVOLVING SO MANY FACTORS. IN ADDITION, IT IS EASIER 2 LOOK BACK, RATHER THAN 4WARD, & MAKE CLEARER JUDGEMENTS.

YOUNG WOMAN (YW)

AT CHURCH, I WAS RECENTLY ASKED 2 BE A YOUNG WOMAN (YW) INSTRUCTOR, 4 THE 1ST SUN., 4 ALL THE YW. . THIS IS MY 1ST “REAL” CALLING IN OVER 5 1/2 YRS. I CAN’T EXPLAIN ALL I FEEL, BUT I THOUGHT THESE CALLINGS WERE GONE W/MY VOICE!

THOUGH WE OWN IT, I RECENTLY TIVOED THE MOVIE “HITCH,” SO I COULD WATCH IT AT MY LEISURE. “HITCH” BEGINS W/A STATEMENT: “60% OF COMMUNICATION IS BODY LANGUAGE, 30% IS TONE, & ONLY 10% IS WORDS.” IF TRUE, WORDS PLAY LESS A PART IN TEACHING…BUT THOUGH I CAN’T BE VOCAL, I CAN STILL SIGN & TYPE—I JUST NEED 2 BE MORE SELECTIVE W/THE WORDS I CHOOSE 2 USE.

HOWEVER, W/MY FEW WORDS, I KNOW I CAN FEEL MISUNDERSTOOD, BECAUSE I WILL WRITE W/A CERTAIN TONE, WHICH IS L8R READ IN A DIFFERENT TONE, MAKING IT APPEAR FUNNIER OR MADDER THAN IT WAS INTENDED…I HEARD THIS EXACT POINT ILLUSTRATED IN AN AUDIO BOOK, AS THE AUTHOR REPEATED THE EXACT SAME PHRASE (LIKE “SHUT THE DOOR”) IN BOTH A MAD & ALSO IN AN ICKY SWEET TONE. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING HOW MUCH TONE AFFECTED THE EXACT SAME WORDS!

THOUGH I CAN’T USE TONE WELL, WE’VE TRIED CREATIVE WAYS 2 SHARE TONE (ASTERICKS IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF AN EMAIL, WARNING THAT I’M MAD, BOLDING WORDS IN ORDER 2 STRESS THEM, & SOMETIMES I COLOR CODE WORDS). THOUGH I HAVEN’T MASTERED TONE, I STILL HAVE 70% OF MY COMMUNICATION, & IF I’VE LEARNED ANYTHING, I TAKE WHAT I DO HAVE, & RUN W/IT!

TRUNK OR TREAT 2009

TRUNK OR TREAT IS OVER. I USED 2 PUT ALL MY ENERGY INTO MY KIDS COSTUMES, SO WHILE I LIKED DRESSING UP, I ONLY DID ONCE PRE-STROKE, WHILE MARRIED…BUT NOW THERE’S A WHOLE NEW FUN AREANA 2 EXPLORE–THERE’S SUCH A WEALTH OF COOL W/C COSTUMES, & ONLY 1 TIME A YEAR 2 ENJOY BEING IN A W/C, & BE MORE THAN “THE “GIRL IN THE WHEELCHAIR.”

THE GIRLS WERE TWIN ALIENS, ZACH WAS LUIGI (I THINK HIS BF SHOULD’VE BEEN MARIO), MK WAS A GHOSTBUSTER, &I WAS A FRONT-END LOADER. WHEN MY FEET RAISED, THE BUCKET WAS BOLTED 2 IT, & ALSO RAISED. MK WENT ALL OUT 4 ME, & THOUGH MK DIDN’T HAVE TIME 2 DO ALL HIS IDEAS, HE SAID AN IDEA THAT WILL TITLE MY SCRAP. PG. STAY TUNED! VIDEO IS COOLER, BUT PICS WILL HAVE 2 DO…

THE HOUSE EPISODE cont.

I LOVE ODD HOLIDAYS, SO I HAVE SOME ON A CALENDAR IN MY ROOM! IT’S “BLAME SOME1 ELSE DAY.” I LAUGHED SO HARD WHEN FIA TRIPPED, & BLAMED ME 4 TRIPPING!

BTW, IN THE HOUSE EPISODE, NOT SURE I WAS CLEAR. DON’T DOUBT HOUSE’S IMMEDIATE DIAGNOSES, I WAS REFERRING 2 A QUICK RECOVERY. IT’S ALMOST AN INSULT HOW OFTEN SOME1 WHO IS LOCKED-IN RECOVERS SO FAST ON TV. MANY NEVER DO. OR RECOVER SLOW, LIKE ME. I MEAN, I HATE THAT SOME1 VIEWING THE SHOW MAY NEVER KNOW THAT THE CONDITION NEVER MAY GO AWAY, & THERE R THOSE WHO MIGHT SPEND YEARS WITH MINIMAL PROGRESSION, & NEVER COMMUNICATE VERBALLY AGAIN. ACCORDING 2 TV, IT IS NO WONDER THAT WHEN I GO OUT, PEOPLE R ALARMED THAT I CAN’T TALK! I RECOGNIZE THE TIME CONSTRAINTS, BUT TV IS A GREAT WAY 2 EDUCATE PEOPLE OF THE CONDITION, & I HATE THAT IT IS ALWAYS PORTAYED AS SOMETHING U’LL DEAL WITH BRIEFLY!

ALSO 4GOT 2 MENTION HOW I LOVED THE GUYS COMMENTS WHEN HOUSE WAS EATING FRIES IN FRONT OF HIM! FELT THAT ALL THE TIME, BUT THERE’S NO WAY 2 EAT IT, SO U JUST WISH U COULD. I ALWAYS WANTED CHARLSTON CHEWS WHEN I SAW THEM, & THOUGH I NEVER REALLY DRANK PEPSI, EVERY NURSE DID, & IN FRONT OF ME, SO MY 1ST CRAVING WAS PEPSI! LOL