I USED 2 SING ALL THE TIME, & I TOOK YEARS OF VOICE LESSONS. I WAS EVEN IN THE ALL-STATE HS CHOIR, TRAVELLING W/THE TOP PERCENT 2 SING IN THE EUROPEAN CATHEDRALS, & LATER I WAS IN THE BYU WOMEN’S CHORUS, ETC.

MY GIRLS HAVE A 2-WEEK SUMMER CAMP 4 THE MUSICAL ANNIE COMING UP, SO THEY PLAY THE MUSIC A LOT & SING ALONG…THE OTHER DAY, I WAS “SINGING” 2, & AT THE END OF THE SONG “TOMORROW” I SHOCKED MYSELF & SOPH, BY BEAUTIFULLY MATCHING THE HIGH PITCH & SAYING THE LAST WORD, “AWAY.” IT WAS CLEAR AS A BELL, & EXCITING! SOPH WAS SO SHOCKED, FLIPPED 2 FACE ME, & YELLED, “MOM!”

I KEEP TRYING 2 DO IT AGAIN, BUT I CAN’T DO IT!

RIGHT NOW, I’M NOT DOING SPEECH THERAPY, BUT I DO A LOT OF VOCALIZING IN MUSIC THERAPY, & I STILL TRY 2 PRACTICE SPEECH DAILY–SOMETIMES W/THE VIDEO I MADE IN A THERAPY SESSION (IT’S ON MY COMP.), SOMETIMES W/THE COMPUTER PROGRAMS I HAVE, OFTEN JUST WHEN I CAN (LIKE I COUNT EXERCISES SOMETIMES), & OFTEN WHILE I WAIT 4 OTHER PEOPLE.

CERTAIN PEOPLE SEEM 2 “PULL IT OUT” OF ME–LIKE MY LITTLE 2 YEAR OLD NEPHEW VISITING FROM NYC–HE SHOWS ME STUFF, THEN WAITS 2 HEAR ME SAY SOMETHING LIKE, “OH WOW!” THEN HE GETS SOOO EXCITED!

I HAVE NEW WORDS “POPPING OUT” ALL THE TIME NOW! I CAN BE TOTALLY QUIET, THEN SUDDENLY SAY SOMETHING, AS SOME1 TALKS W/ME…BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, SOMETIMES I CAN’T SAY THEM AGAIN (LIKE A SECOND TIME) AS CLEARLY.

SUNDAY, I WAS SO EXCITED, BECAUSE I WAS DRIVING MY W/C IN THE CHURCH HALL, A TEEN GIRL ASKED A QUESTION (“WHAT CLASS ARE U GOING TO?”, I ANSWERED (“MIA-MAIDS”), & SHE UNDERSTOOD! I HAVE SAID “HI” AS I DROVE, BUT THIS WAS EXCITING BECAUSE SHE REALLY UNDERSTOOD (GRANTED, THE LETTER “M” IS ONE OF MY BEST CONSONANTS), & I DIDN’T HAVE TO STOP DRIVING, SO I COULD ANSWER HER!

ALSO ON SUN., I TOOK A STEP ON DRY LAND WITH MY RIGHT LEG—BUT MK HOLDS ME “JUST RIGHT” BECZ MY TORSO ISN’T VERY STRONG (I CAN IN A POOL, 4 SWIM THERAPY, BUT COULDN’T LIFT MY TOES, SO GRAVITY WON ON DRY LAND) MY LEFT LEG WANTED 2 WALK 2, BUT I COULDN’T MAKE MY KNEE BEND…

I ALSO GOT A NEW W/C THIS MONTH (I LOVE THE HEADLIGHTS, HORN, & TURN SIGNALS—GREAT, SINCE I CAN’T TALK! WELL YET) I NOW HAVE 5 W/C’S. SO, I NAMED MY 5 W/C’S (I’VE NEVER BEEN ONE 2 NAME INATIMATE OBJECTS, & DOUBT I’LL USE THE NAMES MUCH, BUT THE NAMES JUST “HAPPENED”):

1. FORD –THE NEW 1 (IT LOOKS LIKE A CAR)
2. BUCKING BRONCO –THE POWER TRAVEL CHAIR (WHICH CAN UNEXPECTEDLY JUMP 4WARD, WHEN U START)
3. LEMON-LIME –MY OLD, GREEN POWER CHAIR, THAT ALWAYS BROKE
4. BIG WHEEL –MY FOLDING MANUAL CHAIR, THAT I CAN MANUEVER (MY KIDS ARE IN IT, FOR THE “I WANNA BE LIKE U”) SCRAP. PG.)
5. DINA (SHORT 4 DINOSAUR) –MY 1ST, GREEN, MANUAL CHAIR

APPARENTLY, IN MY SLEEP LAST NIGHT, I WAS PRACTICING & MAKING PERFECT LETTER “S” SOUNDS.

WHEN I WOKE UP, I SAID “GOOD MORNING” 2 MY SON, & I SURPRISED MYSELF WITH HOW CLEAR I HEARD IT, & BY ACTUALLY QUIETLY SAYING THE LETTER “G.” (IT WAS SO QUIET, I MAY BE THE ONLY 1 WHO HEARD IT!) I ACTUALLY THOUGHT I HEARD WRONG, SO I’VE TRIED AGAIN, BUT CAN’T DO IT!

WHILE THERE IS NO PROOF THAT I MADE THE LETTER “G” SOUND, I REMAIN POSITIVE THAT IT WAS THERE! SO THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT I CAN DO IT!

ALSO, LAST NIGHT, I REACHED UP & CLOSED THE MIRROR ON MY CAR’S SUNVISOR, & PROCEEDED 2 PARTLY CLOSE IT…ALL THE WHILE, REPEATEDLY THINKING “ALMOST THERE MOM!” SOMEDAY…

THIS IS SILLY, BUT HAD 2 SHARe! TUESDAY I HELPED MK!

MK NEEDED 2 MAIL SOMETHING, PULLED UP 2 A MAILBOX & OPENED MY CAR WINDOW, I LEANED OVER & LIFTED MY ARM, & MAILED 2 NETFLIX ENVELOPS! GRANTED, IT PROBABLY HELPED THAT THE ENVELOPES WERE STIFF, BUT I DID IT!

I’M ALWAYS LEANING RIGHT 2 GRAB THE REMOTE OFF OF OUR BED (I OFTEN HAVE 2 PULL BLANKETS 2 GET IT CLOSER, BUT SOMETIMES I LEAN WAY OVER!)—I SWEAR ALL THAT LEANING HELPED ME DO THIS (I CAN’T LEAN LEFT, SINCE I NEVER DO IT).

MY ACCOMPLISHMENT MADE ME THINK OF SOMETHING: AT TIMES, MY KIDS MOCK ME SAYING “ALMOST THERE MOM,” BECAUZ IT CAN BE SUCH AN STRAIN & EFFORT 2 REACH THINGS—LIKE MY MOUTH WHEN I FEED MYSELF. NOW, AT TIMES WHEN I REACH 2 DO STUFF, I HEAR “ALMOST THERE MOM.” IT’S LIKE A HIDDEN INCENTIVE, & MAKES ME LAUGH.

HAPPY “STROKE-A-VERSARY” 2 ME,
HAPPY “STROKE-A-VERSARY” 2 ME! LOL 🙂

EACH YEAR, IT GETS HARDER 2 REMEMBER MY AGE & THE ACTUAL DAY OF MY BIRTHDAY (THIS IS LIKE ADMITTING A BIG SIN, IF U KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF HOLIDAYS 4 ME). AT TIMES, I THINK I’D 4GET AN OCCASIONAL BIRTHDAY, IF IT WASN’T 4 MY KIDS! LOL

MARCH 16TH IS MY “STROKE-A-VERSARY,” IF U WILL. IT IS THE DAY I WAS “RE-BORN,” &, LIKE MY BIRTHDAY, IT IS GETTING HARDER 2 REMEMBER, & I HAVE 2 “DO THE MATH.”

2DAY MARKS 7 YEARS SINCE MY STROKE, & I COULD LOOK AT THINGS 1 WAY, & FEEL DISAPPOINTED THAT IN 7 YEARS I’VE ONLY ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH—LESS THAN A 7 YEAR OLD LEARNS IN 7 YEARS! THEN, MY “STROKE-A-VERSARY” COULD BE A SAD DAY, BUT I KNOW THAT I WASN’T SUPPOSED 2 LIVE, OR DO ANYTHING THAT I’M DOING, SO EVERYTHING I CAN DO, IS A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT 4 ME!

SPEAKING OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS: USUALLY, IF I HAVE A NEED, I RING A WIRELESS DOORBELL 4 HELP (THE # OF RINGS SAYS WHO IT’S 4). LAST WEEK, I WAS BLOCKED IN A HALLWAY, & DECIDED 2 TRY 2 CALL 2 MK A FEW DOORS DOWN FROM ME, 4 HELP. IF HE DIDN’T HEAR, I COULD REVERT 2 RINGING…& IF HE HEARD, BUT COULDN’T UNDERSTAND, HE COULD COME THERE (I’M NOT THAT CLEAR, SO I TEND 2 SIMULTANEOUSLY SIGN THE WORD, OR BEGINNING LETTER, & HE WOULDN’T HAVE THAT ADVANTAGE). BUT HE HEARD & UNDERSTOOD JUST FINE, & A MINI CONVERSATION FOLLOWED (WHERE I SAID OK, YES, & NO), WITH HIM IN A ROOM NEARBY, & ME IN A HALL! SO FUN! I HAVEN’T DONE THAT IN YEARS!

TALKING HAS MADE ME SOOO HAPPY! WHEN I HAVE TROUBLE SPEAKING, MY “LEVEL OF HAPPINESS” CONSIDERABLY DROPS…CRAZY, BECAUZ I THOUGHT I WAS HAPPY AT THAT PREVIOUS “LEVEL!” THERE ARE PLENTY OF TIMES THAT I NEVER MENTION, WHEN I SPEAK, & I’M NOT UNDERSTOOD, WHICH IS FINE W/ME! THERE’S A SATISFACTION IN JUST SAYING IT, VERSUS IT STAYING IN MY HEAD! IT’S FAR WORSE 2 KEEP IT IN MY HEAD, VERSUS NOT BE UNDERSTOOD! AT LEAST IT’S “OUT THERE!”

W/SIGNING, 1 OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING THINGS IS 2 NOT FINISH WHAT I’M SAYING—WHETHER IT WAS ON PURPOSE (LIKE BEING TOLD, “I KNOW MOM—U CAN STOP SIGNING NOW”), OR ON ACCIDENT (COMMAS ARE ALWAYS PERCEIVED AS PERIODS, & THEY WALK AWAY MID-SENTENCE!). OBVIOUSLY, I’M NOT HEARD OR UNDERSTOOD IF THAT HAPPENS. U’D THINK THERE WAS THE SAME FRUSTRATION W/TALKING, & NOT BEING UNDERSTOOD…BUT THERE’S NOT! WEIRD, HUH?!?