RECENTLY, I HAD A TALKING DAY: FIA WHINED ABOUT A COLD WAFFLE, & I SAID THE OBVIOUS —“WAARM IIT UP!” JUST POPPED OUT, SO VERY CLEAR (BECAUSE IT WAS A FLEETING THOUGHT, BUT IF I’D TRIED, I COULDN’T SAY IT WELL OR AT ALL). I WISH I COULD HARNESS WHATEVER HAPPENS! (WOULD U BELIEVE THAT THE VERY NEXT DAY, ANY SOUND WAS TOUGH 2 GET OUT?!?)

I WAS ESP. SURPRISED BECUZ IT WAS SO CLEAR SO EARLY IN THE DAY, & I TEND 2 NEED 2 “WARM-UP” VOCALLY & PHYSICALLY (I OFTEN NEED 2 SAY SEVERAL WORDS 2 GET MY VOICE GOING … OR TYPE, B4 PLAYING PIANO, 2 “LOOSEN” FINGERS & STOP “CLENCHING” MY FIST.)

THAT NIGHT, I EVEN FINISHED THE LYRICS 2 A CHURCH SONG—BUT WAS TRYING SO HARD NOT 2, BECUZ MK WAS WAITING 4 THE KIDS 2 SAY IT…BUT BY THE 3RD TRY, I GAVE IN FIGURING THEY DIDN’T KNOW, & COULD TRY 2 FIGURE ME OUT, INSTEAD…IT WASN’T AS CLEAR, SINCE I’D SURPRESSED IT, BUT WAS DECENT!

IN OTHER NEWS, I’VE BEEN PRACTICING SUCKING A STRAW, BUT I DO IT IN A WAY THAT GRAVITY IS NOT A FACTOR. NORMALLY, I HAVE A SPORTS WATER BOTTLE THAT SOME1 ELSE SQUEEZES DRINK OUT OF A STRAW 4 ME. THURS. NIGHT , IT WAS 1/2 FULL, & I WAS WAITING 4 THE REST SO I DEBATED ASKING 4 IT, BUT IT WAS W/IN MY REACH IF I COULD LEAN FWD (I NEVER KNOW IF I CAN–SOMETIMES IT’S EASY, & SOMETIMES NOT…I SEEM 2 NEED 2 BE SITTING RT…)

ANYWAY, I LEANED FWD, GOT IT, & SUCKED & LIGHTLY SQUEEZED, & FED MYSELF 1/2 A BOTTLE OF WATER–LIKE 12 OUNCES! SO EXCITED! I’M GETTING STRONG ENOUGH 2 FEED MYSLF W/O SUPPORT, & NOW I CAN DRINK 2! ANOTHER CHEER 4 MMORE INDEPENDENCE! GLAD I DIDN’T ASK 4 HELP, OR I’D NEVER KNOW I COULD DO IT! (I THINK IT’S MY MOTTO 2 TRY, PROVIDED THEREE’S TIME—BECUZ I’M SLOW, & IF I FAIL, I TRY HARDER…BUT THE TRICK IS KNOWING WHEN 2 STOP TRYING, & GET HELP!)

I WAS ALSO EXCITED SINCE I WAS REALLY DOUBTING MY SWALLOWING ABILITY—WATER IS THE THINNEST LIQUID, & I’VE MANAGED 2 SUCCK UP & SWALLOW THICKER LIQUIDS, BUT WORRIED I’D JUST SUCK THIS UP, & GAG OR DROOL (GRAVITY IS NOT ALWAYS MY FRIEND, & MY HEAD WAS DOWN…). BUT I SUCKED UNTIL MY MOUTH WAS FULL, KEPT MY MOUTH SHUT, & LOOKED UP 2 SWALLOW. IT DID PRETTY WELL—I STILL SOMETIMES DROOLED, BUT MY BIB HAS BEEN WETTER BY OTHERS, SO I CONSIDER IT A SUCCESS!

IF I CAN DO WATER, THEN I’D HOPE I CAN DRINK THROUGH ANY STRAW AT A RESTURANT OR DRIVE THROUGH, PROVIDED I HAVE A BIB & I’M NOT AWARE OF AN AUDIENCE (JUST LIKE BLOWING OUT CANDLES, I SMILE, & CAN’T PUCKER IF I EVEN FEEL I’M BEING WATCHED!)

SORRY I’VE BEEN M.I.A. I LAST POSTED, BECAUSE I MISTAKENLY THOUGHT I WAS ALMOST DONE TRANSFERRING COMP, BUT THEN THERE WAS COMPLICATIONS , ETC. I HAD THAT KEEPING ME BUSY, THEN WAS GONE 2 WEEKS! SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED, & I’LL SHARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS L8R, A GREAT THING THOUGH: WOULD U BELIEVE THAT AFTER 5 YEARS, I JUST BLEW OUT CANDLES ON MY BIRTHDAY CAKE?!? (THERE WAS 2.) IT WASN’T EASY & TOOK A WHILE & THE CANDLES WERE CLOSE (& IT WAS A GOOD THING JUST MY KIDS & MK WERE THERE), BUT IT HAPPENED! SO HAPPY! HAD THE GOAL 2 DO THAT SINCE LIKE LAST FALL!

SORRY I TOOK SO LONG…BEEN RATHER BUSY HERE, TRANSFERING COMP. (AS U KNOW, I LOST DATA BUT I’VE BEEN RESTORING WHAT I HAVE ON MY NEW COMP.—I’M FINALLY ABOUT DONE!–, & FIGURING OUT MY NEW COMP. IS TOUGH–IT’S WEIRD & IS CAUSING SO MUCH TROUBLE…), & MAKING STUFF 4 THE YACKTMAN FAMILY REUNION IN PARK CITY, UT IN JULY. (I QUITE ENJOY IT, BUT IT’S BEEN QUITE DEMANDING & TIME-CONSUMING…BTW, I’LL DRIVE TO UTAH, & CAN’T GAURANTEE AN INTERNET CONNECTION, SO I MAY BE GONE MOST OF JULY ALSO.)

PLUS, JESS & FIA JUST FINISHED A MUSICAL THEATER CAMP, WHERE FIA WAS TO-TO, & JESS WAS THE LION IN “WIZARD OF OZ”. THEY HAD 7 DAYS 2 PUT IT TOGETHER. JESS & FIA WERE DARLING. JESS SANG A SOLO & WAS FUNNY (SHE WAS GIVEN THE BIGGEST PART SHE AUDITIONED 4, & ALL THE SLAPSTICK). IT WAS ALSO A PBA MIRACLE 2 NOT HYSTICALLY CRY, & MY DOUBLE VISION HAS SLIGHTLY IMPROVED, SO I COULD C IT OK, SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW (JESS RESERVED SEATS 4 US.)

IN ADDITION, JESS JUST FINISHED ALL-STAR BASEBALL, WHICH HAD TONS OF TOURNAMENTS & PRACTICES (THOUGH I DIDN’T ATTEND A LARGE PORTION OF IT, SINCE IT WAS PHYSICALLY DRAINING, BUT SHE’S SURELY A TALENTEED GIRL!) I’VE BEEN SO, SO BUSY.

UNFORTUNATELY, WHILE I CAN DO IT, USING MY COMP. WHILE CARBONITE WAS RESTORING FILES, WAS CAUSING MY COMP. 2 RESTORE SLOWLY–I NEEDED 2 BE OFF, 4 IT 2 BE FASTER. SO, I HAVE BEEN SPENDING MORE TIME W/MY FAM. & LISTENING 2 AUDIO BOOKS—I’VE FINISHED 3 BOOKS! I RATHER LIKE IT!

SOMEDAYS, LATELY, I’M QUITE A TALKER (4 ME). I THINK SHORT SENTENCES OR PHRASES, & THEY JUST “POP” OUT. OTHERTIMES, IT’S JUST NOT A “TALKING DAY,” BUT IF IT IS, SOMETIMES U CAN EVEN UNDERSTAND ME 2 (KNOWING THE CONTEXT HELPS…) FIA GETS A HUGE KICK FROM HEARING ME SAY THINGS LIKE, “FIA, SHARE!” & “HURRY UP!” & “GET OFF YOUR BUTT!” ZACH JUST SEES THE HUMOR THAT I SAY THINGS 2 DISCIPLINE, BUT NEED 2 SIGN THINGS LIKE “GOOD JOB!”

SAT., I PLAYED BINGO, W/MY 7-YR. OLD, & SAID “YES” OR “NO” IF I HAD IT.

NOT LONG AGO, JESS WENT INTO R PANTRY, LOOKING 4 SUPPLIES 2 FEED ME. JESS SAID, “OH, SYRUP!” & W/O HESITATION, I SLURRED OUT, “WHERE R U?”

IF I DON’T TRY, I THINK IT, & IT JUST POPS OUT, W/A SLURRED VERSION, & MISSING MANY CONSONANTS (LIKE “W”), YET CLEAR. MY WORDS ARE UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT NOT GREAT. CONTEXT CLUES DEFINITELY HELP!

WHENEVER I DO THAT, I’M TOLD 2 REPEAT IT-THE KIDS COMMENT HOW THEY MISS MY VOICE, & LIKE 2 HEAR IT -THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVE 2 HEAR WORDS, THOUGH ABSOLUTELY HATE MY ATTEMPT 2 MAKE ANY NOISE (MY “GRUNTING NOISE” 2 GET ATTENTION: “AAAAAH!”). DOING THAT (“AAAAAH!”), I ANNOY. UNFORTUNATELY, NEW ATTEMPTS AT WORDS CAN SOUND ANNOYING…SO I’M “SHY” & HAVE “STAGE FRIGHT”. PLUS, I HATE IT ALL-IT SOUNDS NOTHING LIKE ME, BUT THERE’S ALSO A SENSE OF SATISFACTION BY SAYING THINGS, EVEN IF IT’S JUST ALERTING OTHERS THAT I WANT 2 SIGN SOMETHING! I ALL 2 CLEARLY RECALL NOT BEING ABLE 2 DO THAT, & FEELING TERRIBLY JEALOUS OF THOSE WHO WERE HEARING IMPAIRED, & COULD DO IT!

ANYWAY, I TRY 2 REPEAT IT, & IT’S 10x HARDER, & LESS CLEAR. LESS COSONANTS COME OUT, I THINK. BUT, IF IT CAN “POP OUT,” IT’S THERE SOMEWHERE!