Early a.m. Post

Just posting to let you know that we are still alive and well and it's very dark outside and in our room! Thank you for your comments, and I hope Megan will write a brief comment again, on a couple of posts back, just to summarize the comments that you lost. Two things: One, Justin and Melinda and the kids came down yesterday afternoon, and it was so fun! I'll post some pics later, but I just want to say that I really enjoyed it and I feel refreshed by it. The kids watched Finding Nemo and the first of My Neighbor Totoro, which they loved. They also played and had suckers and ate some regular food while Seth and Justin put a load of Justin's things in the Campbell-Monster-Car and we talked about Megan and Haley and Ben and Phillip. Joke! We actually talked about Seth. The second thing: Right now I want to write about Mark's good care of me, and I can do that best by giving you an example. Last weekend, I had to take a break from my old, ratty wheelchair, so Mark fixed me up with a comfy pillow. It was warm and cozy inside, compared to outside (you know that toasty feeling) and Mark was in and out, doing things like baking bread, making homemade vegetable soup, cooking meatloaf, fixing the kitchen sink, playing wonderful music, doing improvements in our bathroom, baking cookies, and talking and joking around with me. If you can picture that, then you have a little glimpse into Mark's giving and caring nature. Mark is a helper/healer/teacher, and I'm a gathering in/nurturer/teacher type. Besides that, we're both silly and adventurous, yet really homebodies. We're both impatient by nature, anxious to learn everything and wanting a chance to make the big, dramatic sacrifice; we're still learning about letting go and trusting. Anyway, we suit each other perfectly! I hope you've enjoyed these little glimpses into our life. And thank you for your kind attention. xoxoxo

Two in One Day!

It published my title before I could write anything, so if you were confused, that's why (you have an excuse now :). I wanted to add some details to my last post: for instance, I also trimmed my hair this a.m., ate sliced oranges, Mark went to the movies with Keith (I went with Mark last night), and Seth made Leto a frozen peanut butter treat in his Kong toy that Seth gave him. I thought dogs wouldn't like it frozen, but it's suggested and it worked! Good! Megan and Brooks have to buy a new furnace/central air unit - I feel for you guys! I got a postcard from Haley with a little Hunter on the front! Thank y0u! That was so fun to get! Mark has his music playing, his own downloads off iTunes and Napster, and I really love hearing all those great songs. It's just after 4:30 p.m. now, just getting darker outside. I'm sitting on one of the pillows we made from our memory foam mattress (order California King for a Queen size bed - that gives you enough extra to cut pillows off). This new pillow thing is because my wheelchair pad is worn out and doesn't cushion enough. Hope to get new cushion and wheelchair in a couple of weeks. And it won't be soon enough!! Owee!! And that's all I know about that! Love You. xoxoxo PS Oh my goodness, Tom Jones is singing "Without Love." I'm a puddle of mush! Ooh, now it's the Righteous Brothers singing "Unchained Melody," which is our song! I'm going to die! Oh no! Now Karen Carpenter is singing "All of My Life." I give up, I'm just going to close now. Take Care, and don't listen to romantic music if you want to get any serious work done; if you're like me, I get so lovesick. It's crazy!

Hay, Y'All!

What's up? We's one-third up, so to say. I'm up, the two other humans are still asleep. And of course, Leto's up and already went outside to run around before it's light (once it's light, he has to go out and come right back in). Sneaky, huh? Leto has taught me the value of routine. Being a Shepherd Dog, he loves routine, whatever it is. Just so it's pretty much the same all the time. That includes getting exactly two treats at a time. His comings and goings are attuned to ours, even on a weekly basis. And he knows when we pull into our old neighborhood that we're going to Danny and Melinda's (btw, I hear that all is going well with Justin's move, the kids are delirious about him being there, and he starts at Quest this next week : ). I could go on about Leto's love of routine, and how it makes it easier for him to keep track of us, etc., but you get the idea. And by being in a routine with Leto, I've started living with routines and they're very comforting! I wake up around 7 a.m. and turn the c-pap machine off. I let Leto out. Then I read some scriptures, sometimes the same verse, several days in a row if it's interesting, pray, comb my hair, brush my teeth, wash my face (!), get dressed, take my morning pills, and so on. Sometimes I take a bath in the mornings, sometimes not. I don't take my shot until 9 a.m., so I come over and quietly turn the computer on (Mark is a light sleeper). I check email and blogs and so forth, and sometimes blog myself, after checking comments on my last post. If it's a weekday, my aide brings me my plain oatmeal with raisins. It's really gloppy, but satisfying. I ask her to boil the raisins first, so that they're nice and fat. Then I take my insulin and Jasmine comes in and disturbs me. By now, Mark and I have visited, he's fixed us Reliv, and he's left for work. On the weekends, like today, Mark tries to sleep in till 8:30 or so. Like now. He just got up and said something about "rudoodoos." I don't know what that is, but it sounds really funny when he says it. Now he's running bath water. I'll continue with weekdays: So, Seth gets up and we talk while I look at things, the aide comes in for a bit, and I usually make a couple of phone calls. Then, I'll go to my favorite game and play it, and I'll get some phone calls. Seth will talk to me more, Jasmine is still disturbing me, but actually, she's been sitting on my lap. I remind Seth of his chores, if he's home - I should say, lots of times he goes to work in the morning. But, to all the robbers and rapists out there, Leto is here with me, plus I know karate and there are hidden booby traps and things in our house and yard, so stay away! Okay. Then I turn on the television around 2 p.m. and listen to talk shows while talking on the phone or playing on the computer (if I'm reading, I don't like to have the noise). I've accepted the fact that I'm going to be either sitting around or lying around, and I finally don't expect myself to get up and so something. That's a huge step (no pun intended) forward for me. (Now Mark came over and said, "Um, who are you talking of it?" I told him my blog, and he said, "Try not to have a blog." He's so silly! Now Jasmine came in (I told you), and Mark said, "Here's stupid cat." And he means it. Now she's on my lap, now my shoulders, but I'll make her sit. Now she's sitting, and I'm wrapped in a blanket, so she likes that. She tries to get upon my shoulders again. Then she's down, half-sitting. That's how it goes for awhile. So, back to my exciting routine! Mark comes home around 5:30 p.m. By that time, it's dark again. He gets us something to eat (usually a dinner for me. These are frozen, one container meals that are sent to me once a month. Very helpful! Mark likes to have tuna fish. We usually watch some tv or a movie together. He does laundry and picks things up on his way home (especially medicines), and helps me with whatever I'm doing. Sometimes I'm on the computer while we watch things, others not. And half the time he'll go on another computer himself. He does work and play, mixed, even on the computer. He does a lot. Of course, our days are full of things like a nurse coming by, taking care of pets, visiting teaching, home teaching, going to the movies at times, church, making things when it's not too cold in the house, Enrichment mtgs., doing Primary homework, giving rides, checking my blood pressures or having some test or whatever, some letter writing, family occasions, holidays, and on and on. Those are the main variables. Other than that, I do some tests and shots, take my night time pills (around 9 p.m.) and my night time insulin, and go to bed around 10:30 or eleven, turn on the c-pap, put my mask on, and then the Simpsons come on and I say, "We're watching cartoonies!" and I promptly fall asleep. Now you know about my days. What do you think? Does it sound fun? Is it boring? Am I lazy? (I'd do more physically, but I drop everything. Really.) I need some feedback, to help me know if I'm lazy or whatever. Well I don't really NEED it, but it would be fun to hear your reactions. :) And so, thank you for you kind attention, and goodbye! xoxoxo