Not So Sweet

                 

Hi again. I don`t really know why I haven`t posted an entry in so long.

Remember I said I was having headaches for like two weeks straight? I no longer have them once I figured out what was causing them >>> Aspartame - the artificial sweetener in Diet Coke! If you research aspartame online you will see that it is bad bad bad. Bad news. It`s in many products and has been known to cause severe migraines in some people. I also read where it can cause depression and mimic signs of MS and fibromyalgia! I stopped drinking the diet soda and the excruciating headaches went away.

It`s been hot here. In the 90`s kind of hot. I`m not a summer person. I`m not enjoying this. We have many festivities and concerts going on as Football Hall of Fame week is being celebrated here. I haven`t gone to any of them. Somehow the idea of strolling through a  mass of smelly bodies squashed together in 90 degree temps while smelling cotton candy and corn dogs mixed with the scent of port-a-potties just doesn`t appeal to me.

I was asked to go see fireworks tonight by an old "friend." ( I use that term very loosely here. ) Okay, we used to date. There was a lot of drama. I declined. It just didn`t feel right.

I can`t wait until Corey gets home. She`s been on the other half of the world long enough!

I`m probably a tad old to be listening to these young emo bands but I love them. My favorite is Jack`s Mannequin. Andrew is 23 or 24 and survived the same kind of leukemia as me. We were both diagnosed in 2005. We are both well now. Please donate blood - it saves lives!!!

 

I also love The Academy Is and The All-American Rejects.

                    

I have a great song of theirs playing on my Myspace page. Check it out. My page is pretty!   :)

http://www.myspace.com/pennysplace2gogh

Have a wonderful weekend. I hope to catch up with journals soon!

Tags: Aspartame, Myspace, Jack`s Mannequin, Andrew McMahon, The Academy Is, The All American Rejects, leukemia, donate blood

Big Kosher Pickle!

 

 

My friend Cathie and I had dinner tonight at Cheeseburger in Paradise. Do you have those restaurants where you live? ( Named after the Jimmy Buffet song. )

Cheeseburger in paradise (paradise)
Medium rare with mustard 'be nice (paradise)
Heaven on earth with an onion slice (paradise)
I'm just a cheeseburger in paradise

I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer.......

Well, when this particular song started to play in the restaurant all the employees gathered round the bar to clap their hands and sing along. One brawny guy was especially fond of the BIG KOSHER PICKLE line. He just cracked me up!!

I had a festive drink with rum, fresh pineapples, and strawberries ... (Hey, keeping it healthy. Heh heh) The strawberry in my drink was wearing sunglasses. Very cool!

 

I`ve had headaches for 2 weeks now. I rarely ever get headaches until now. They feel like tension headaches, all around my head and down the back of my head into my neck. Help me!

I have some days off so I hope to catch up on journal reading. It`s been a very busy week here in my little piece of Ohio.

Thanks to Missie for the darling name tag!

Happy weekend.    :)

Tags: big kosher pickle

Blue Skies

           

        

Today was one of those beautiful summer days - blue skies, white fluffy clouds, green grass, and rows of corn dancing in the breeze. I`m happy to be off work and enjoying it.

In New Zealand it`s already tomorrow, so my daughter has some free time to shop and have some fun. It`s been a good week there, with warmer temps and no rain.

There hasn`t been much going on here lately and the things that have been going on I don`t much feel like writing about.                    

I took a couple days off to pick up Corey once she gets home next month. She will have just turned 21 so we will celebrate her birthday once she is home from NZ. Then back to college, beginning her 4th year - WOW!

I`m pretty sure I have some time off after Thanksgiving that I`m going to use to visit my brother and SIL in Indianapolis. I`m feeling the need for a little road trip.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

 

Thanks to PinkCreations for this awesome tag and

Thanks to Donna for the marina dock graphic

Touch of The Master`s Hand

Well it was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer felt it was hardly worth his while,
To waste much time on the old violin but he held it up with a smile,
"Well it sure ain`t much but its all we got left I guess we ought to sell it too,
Oh, now who’ll start the bid on this old violin?
Just one more and we’ll be through. "

And then he cried," One  - give me one dollar,
Who`ll make it two only two dollars who`ll make it three,
Three dollars twice now that`s a good price,
Now who`s gonna bid for me?
Raise up your hand now don`t wait any longer the auction`s about to end,
Who`s got four- Just one dollar more - to bid on this old violin?"

Well the air was hot and the people stood around as the sun was setting low,
From the back of the crowd a gray haired man,
Came forward and picked up the bow,
He wiped the dust from the old violin then he tightened up the strings,
Then he played out a melody pure and sweet, sweeter than the Angels sing,
And then the music stopped and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low he said now what am I bid,
For this old violin and he held it up with a bow.

And then he cried out," One -  give me one thousand,
Who`ll make it two only two thousand who`ll make it three,
Three thousand twice you know that`s a good price,
C`mon, who’s gonna to bid for me?"

And the people cried out ,"What made the change? We don’t understand!"
Then the auctioneer stopped and he said with a smile,
"It was the touch of the Master’s hand."

You know there`s many a man with his life out of tune,
Battered and scarred with sin and he’s auctioned cheap,
To a thankless world much like that old violin,
Oh, but then the Master comes,
And that old foolish crowd they never understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is rought,
Just by one touch of the Masters hand.

And then he cried out," One -  give me one thousand,
Who’ll make it two only two thousand who’ll make it three,
Three thousand twice you know that’s a good price,
C`mon, who’s gonna bid for me?"

And the people cried out, "What made the change? We don’t understand!"
Then the auctioneer stopped and he said with a smile,
It was the touch, that’s all it was; it was the touch of the Master’s hand,

Tags: Touch of the Master`s Hand, Wayne Watson

To Part With A Port?

             

Greetings one and all.

Today I went to the Cleveland Clinic for my 3 - month check up and bloodwork. This was my first time going there since my meds and chemo have been completed!

The drive there takes me about an hour and I did some reflecting along the way. I`ve been there so many times I feel as though I could drive it with my eyes closed! North on the expressway to downtown Cleveland by Jacob`s Field where the Indians play, merge right; go two exits and turn right .... and so the journey goes.

When I was first diagnosed with leukemia and taken to the CC I was terrified. I knew I was in bad shape when they transported me there. It was to be my home for the next month until I was discharged and then I would spend up to 4 or 5 days a week there after that . Long days of chemotherapy. Ofcourse I couldn`t drive there myself. My brother took me.

Bone marrow tests, hair loss, chemo shot into my spine several times, wheelchairs, barf buckets, shingles, dozens of blood transfusions, pneumonia, learning to give myself shots, sores in my mouth, mouth tasting like tarnished coins, blurred vision, weight loss -- just a few of the bad things.

The love of my family and friends, visitors, cards, flowers, magazines, teddy bears, food when it tasted good, new pajamas and slippers, new friends and fellow patients, amazing doctors and nurses, lots of prayers and more prayers and an abundance of blessings -- just a few of the good things.

So I`m thinking about all this as I`m driving along. The sun is shining, my CD player  is blaring, my real hair blowing in the breeze!  :)

My bloodwrok was good. I met with my doctor. We discussed whether or not to leave the port in my chest. The port is hidden under the skin.  My blood is drawn from it and when I had chemo, that`s the way it was administered from an IV into my port. It`s a small surgical procedure to have it removed. Or it can be left in "just in case."

I told my doctor that I probably won`t be keeping it, that I didn`t plan on needing it.

He smiled and said, "That`s exactly what I was thinking. "

Tags: leukemia, prayers, Cleveland Clinic,

Too Hot

Okay, it`s over 90 degrees here today. Thankfully I went to an air conditioned church - onto an air conditioned restaurant - onto air conditioned Kohl`s and now I`m in my air conditioned home! I do step outside now and then.

Funny thing is, I never used to care or even paid any attention to the temperature. It`s 90 degrees? So what, I was ready to get a tan and then go out and have fun. There`s a blizzard? It never stopped my friends and I from going anywhere. ( We even slept in the car once in a hotel parking lot in Detroit during a snow storm. Who heads farther north in February?? )

Anyhow, on the other side of the world my daughter says it`s really cold in New Zealand and she has purchased a winter coat! She loves it there, though. I have been researching NZ quite a bit over the past couple months and it is one place I`d really love to go.

So I bought pajamas today at Kohl`s. Nothing like new pj`s. I had a gift card so that`s why I went as I`m broke otherwise! I love Sundays and going to church, but I find I do tend to get a tad lonely later in the afternoon, so I tried to stay busy today and it has helped.

I`ve been divorced now for close to 5 years, separated a year before that. I keep hoping for that nice Christian gentleman to come along and fill the gap that I sometimes feel in my life. It is something I pray about and if it`s meant to be I know God will bring him my way when the time is right.

I hate to whine or complain when I am so blessed. And one thing I don`t do very often is make myself vulnerable or express myself emotionally in this journal. There are some things going on that I just don`t discuss here. But I`m definitely "the glass is half full" kind of a person. I`m learning more and more each day to truly trust in the Lord in all matters and it keeps me even.

Well, I`m off to read some journals and shower and have a big glass of cold Pepsi.   :)

 

The latest good book I`m reading is River Angel by A. Manette Ansay.

Tags: New Zealand, God, blessed, Christian gentleman where are you!

Morning Aerobics

At the start of your morning when the first alarm goes off, sit up in bed stretching right arm out to hit snooze. Relax. When it goes off again 9 minutes later, repeat process.

When cell phone alarm goes off extend left arm as far as possible and bob it up and down several times while searching for phone. Flex fingers over the dials until snooze setting is activated. Relax.

Repeat process for 30 minutes.

 

........ So my morning goes.

It`s rough when you`re not a morning person.

 

Today Mandy went to the groomers for a haircut. This morning I told her to hurry and go potty because we were going >>>>> (magic words) >>>>> BYE BYES.  Wow, did she do her business fast and run for the car!

After dropping her off, it was on to McDonald`s for my morning unsweetened iced tea.   :)  Then I washed and dried my car. By 10 am it was already 80 degrees. I filled up my car with gas. It`s $2.93 a gallon but with my Speedway rewards card I get 5 cents off per gallon, so make that $2.88.

Later my mom and I are going out to lunch and picking up Mandy. Speaking of my mom, she fell again the other day. I cannot get her up when this happens. She wasn`t hurt. So we called 911 and 3 guys came and lifted her right up. I never saw such nice looking rescue guys in my life! Wowza! One of them actually made friends with my dog, which is no easy feat.

Corey, as you know, is in New Zealand. They flew to a different part recently and now they have access to phones and computers. I like hearing from her more often. :) They are helping to establish ministries at the schools while they are there. Much work to be done and it`s very exciting for her.

I do indeed have Swimmer`s Ear. Not that I swim, but whatever. The doc gave me ear drops and they are helping.

I just can`t quite get over my feeling of Blah-ness. Not sure what exactly that`s all about and it`s not like me. I feel like sleeping and it`s hard to get motivated lately. Maybe because I`m not on any specific routine in my life right now. Also, I know this sounds weird, but summer is not my season. If it could be like autumn year `round I`d love it!

I hope you have a wonderful day.

thanks, Donna!