I
LOVED
all of your responses!! Some marvelous conversations grew out of them and I even got a picture or two...of
YOU
! Here are a few snippets I'd like to share...
"Hi friend! How can I know you for SO long and not know that you do not have a tummy button!?!? I guess for one....I've never looked and in what sort of conversation does that come up?!?! Ha! I did have to laugh about that."
"I am so blessed and have so much to be thankful for."
"Some things on my 'bucket list' are:
Swim with the dolphins
Go sky diving
Hold a chimpanzee
See wild mustangs
See a glacier fall
See whales in the ocean
And the list continues............"
"I am a 15 year cancer survivor (24 yrs. old when diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma)."
I have never ever drank a cup of coffee, despite years working as a nurse on the night shift.
My dream is to go to Ireland someday!"
"I had two brothers and one sister (I lost one of my brothers when I was 16, he was 18), my grandmother raised me, I volunteered in my youth in a hospital and on the first aid squad, and I love food and to take pictures."
"I'm afraid of flying."
"I sleep with socks on, summer or winter."
"I've always wanted to pet monkey."
So, here goes
WEEK #2
...
THIS
is my absolute favorite way to wake up in the morning...very slowly, with my husband, a cup of coffee and all the animals. It can take up to three or four hours for me to actually remove myself from the bed on these days. Thousands of pictures can be found in this disheveled 5' x 7' space, each one of them capturing moments of simple life - silly, quiet and holy.
THIS is me and my Grandpa Elliott.
This man could fall asleep faster than the speed of sound, on any surface, in any climate, with anyone around...including me. He was the master of the 10 minute nap, and I adored him. My childhood summers were spent on their farm place and I followed him around just like one of the many kittens that could be found outside their kitchen door. He taught me how to fish, how to pound nails, how to sneak cookies out of the package before you check out at the grocery store and how to properly eat sardines at midnight...watching old movies.
When I think of the good things in life...I think of my moments with him.
THIS is a picture of my medications.
I currently take 33 pills a day and receive bi-weekly infusions of IVIg. I DISLIKE THURSDAYS IMMENSELY, because this is the day that my weekly pill holder runs out. I've been known to wait until Noon to take my morning pills out of shear laziness. In fact, it's Thursday as I type this...10:05am...and I have yet to take a pill.
I'll pay for it later.
THIS is my wonderfully crazy family...or at least part of them. On this particular day I was very sick and so my oldest daughter (the one in the apron) drove to our home after work (two hours in the opposite direction of her home) to cook supper for all of us. They decided to "entertain" me and dressed up in old prom dresses. My husband, the GREAT sport that he is, played the part of Raúl. I'm still not sure who that is??? There is NO lack of imagination in our home, and play is a regular item on the agenda!
THESE
are pictures from the 2008 Twin Cities Marathon. It was the best marathon of my life, finishing just over 3 hours and 39 minutes. Totally unprepared, I ran as a bandit that year for a women that had to bow out at the last minute. My time would have been good enough to qualify me for the Boston Marathon.
This is also the day that I got sick. The end of over 30 years of running.
These are also pictures of my children and family waiting hours in the cold rain, right around mile 20, in order that they might cheer me on.
They're still cheering.
Now it's your turn!
4 comments:
I wake up at about 3 am with two cats pouncing on my already sore joints. They of course want me to hop (little do they know) out of bed to feed them immediately. After hobbling to the kitchen and dispensing their food, I put on my coffee. No use in trying to go back to bed cause that ain't gonna happen. By 6 am I have had my coffee, taken my barrage of meds, watched the news and I am ready for action. Action means getting up.
My favorite all time childhood idol was my brother that passed away. We were like two peas in a pod. Not only did we laugh, conspire, and yes, cause trouble together, we also depending greatly on each other.
Meds…I hate having to take meds but it is one of those evil things we must do!
Our family is just about as crazy as yours. We can be found singing and dancing for almost any reason. Today in celebration of fall, my daughter and I decorated our own pumpkins. She is 20, I am 54. Yup, kids at heart…forever!
Deb, I can relate to your pet dilemma! Just this morning I was telling my husband that "something has to change"! The hour at which our pets are becoming active is getting earlier and earlier, starting now at about 3:30am! It begins with our big dog waking and shaking...which rattles her collar...which starts the little dog(who spend his night in the kennel)barking...which alerts that cat that she should come wake us up! This morning I felt like a new mom, laying there trying to wait it out to see if everyone would just go back to sleep. Oh they did...about 4:30, only to start up again at 5:30. The only thing that creates peace in this situation is getting up, letting them out, filling their dishes and THEN they crawl up on my bed and fall fast asleep. Ugh! Definitely NOT conducive to the mornings of a chronically ill person!
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Thank you so much for sharing more about your brother. My brother is my best friend too, and I cannot imagine life without him. What was his name? Were you older or younger? I would truly love to hear more about him - it would be such an honor.
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Meds = necessary evil, for sure!! Enough said!
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Love, love, love to hear about your crazy family!!! You know, there were years when I just totally "missed" those experiences with my family. All caught up in work, life, moving to the next thing... Being "present" in their lives is the greatest gift this illness has brought me. I can hardly wait for my granddaughter to be born!!
Thanks for this blog! It was a pleasure to visit and read it! Your story is so inspiring and it is just great that you have such a wonderful family. how to write a term paper
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