Trick or treat!

Good day everybody. It's gorgeous here. We've been out and about running errands and looking at all the "pider and punkns". Deke is still determining what he wants to be for Halloween. He'll either be a little ghoul that scares everyone in a shiny black cape or a horse. He's big into growling and telling you to run...bossy little feller, so I'm thinking the ghoul will win. We visited the pumpkin patch last night an he picked out two. One big and fat, the other a baby squash.

We raised over $8,000 for ALSA and had a great time at the walk, even though a sickness came calling. Tuesday before the walk, I went to the doctor and was told I had a respiratory infection and was given an antibiotic I've taken many times before. Only this time I had a severe allergic reaction. Apparently, reactions are categorized on a scale 1 to 5, with 5 being the worst. I of course had a level 5 reaction and ended up in the hospital for 4 days!!! At first, we thought I was having a reaction to cousin Crystal's blueberry breakfast cake, because I broke out in little red dots from my head to my toes, as soon as I finished my second piece. Eventually, I started to itch and then my feet and calves turned an amazing shade of red/purple. Off we go to home our home away from home, Baptist Collierville. I came home Friday and started to have sores come up in my mouth. They felt like horns when air would hit them. Just breathing was extremely painful and talking wasn't a possibility, although I did manage to croak out a few words. This was caused by all the steroids I was given for the allergic reaction. The doctor played it safe and ordered a swish and spit rinse, so that I wouldn't react to it. What a mess. For those that asked or wonder why I seem to be having issues with medicines since my diagnosis, just don't know my luck (har har). Seriously, ALS causes your body to wear out quicker and leaves a person weakened and susceptible to all kinds of nefty illnesses.

Now for my costume this year, I'll be a bloated, horned witch...snicker

Saturday was my best friend, Kelly's, son wedding. I can't believe my little Scotty has grown into such a remarkable man. The ceremony was so touching, the reception was delicious and sharing the moment with them was priceless.

Crystal you need to share on the recipe, because it was fabulous!

Enjoy the kiddies this weekend! Sugar'em up and send them home.

Love,
Ami

P.S. I'm working on getting the walk pictures uploaded, so they'll be along soon.

P.S.S. I want to get out to see my Navy friends soon. Definitely before Sabrina has her little baby!

October 8, 2008

Whoozer! Has it been over a month since I've updated this???? Guess that's a silly question.

Anyhoo, the latest news is that I was in the hospital at the end of August with what they finally decided was serotonin syndrome, which was because two of the medicines I was taking, Lexapro for anxiety and Seroquel to help me sleep, were both serotonin uptake drugs, meant to make a person feel better. To much serotonin can make a person very sick. Of course, I'd be that person. All three of my hospitalizations have been related to medications and their side effects. Because of this I stopped all my medicines, except the muscle relaxers and and ambien to sleep. Last week we added baclofen a new muscle relaxer. I'm taking a very small dose to see how my body reacts to it. So far, it has reduced my twitching significantly and taken away the "squishy" sensations I had in my legs....yippee!

Many people hadn't realized that I do still walk. I walk around the house every day, but make sure my wheelchair is close in case I get weak. I use the super duper wheelchair when we go out. I don't risk falling in public! Not only would I be mortified, I'd hate to get hurt in the process. My new lift was delivered last week. The lift is used to transport me from bed to bath or to pick me up off the floor. I don't need the transporting yet and pray I don't have to use it to scrap my bootie off the floor! It came with only one wheel having a brake, which doesn't seem safe to me at all. When I questioned it, the company suggested I "try it. one brake should work." I was like "Nope. Not gonna happen. I won't be a guinea pig, cause my luck I'll end up back in the hospital!" The sling (part my body rests in) allows for my hind end to just dangle. I don't like that idea either, so were swapping swings.

More exciting news is that I nominated my brother for an leadership award with ALS TDI and he won!! He's going to Cambridge, MA for their summit meeting the weekend of the walk. This is great because he'll be able to hear the latest in cutting edge research and see the leading doctors in the ALS field.

We're getting ready for the 2ND annual cookout at the cove, which we host the Friday evening before the walk. We're also doing some spring cleaning and repair projects, all to get ready for our friends and family that are coming in for the walk.

If you haven't register to be on Ami's Awesome Army team for the walk, please do! Even if your a virtual walker, please sign up! Goto http://walktn.alsa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WLK_TN_SignUp.....please, please, please sign up.

I also want to see Hip hip hooray! for Darrin's dad Ray. He raised almost $700 at his first annual horseshoe tournament! and still has folks bringing in more donations! Way to go Pap!!!

Chase is getting ready to run for vice president of the student council and Deke is going to the allergist Friday to figure out what's been making him itchy and bumpy.

Our next travel plans are a road trip to the Kansas Yoder's for Thanksgiving and Chase, Shirley and I are going to Puerto Rico at Christmas.

We plan on renovating our bathroom shower, so that I can use a shower chair in it. Which means we'll take out the 6 inch lip and make a ramp.

I hope I've caught everyone up!

Love,
Ami

Hot Springs, AR

Darrin has a client in Hot Springs, and we decided that we still had the travel bug. Chase invited his friend Dalton we loaded up the van for our first road trip in it.



We took off early Wednesday, drove about 3 hours, and went to the dealership which was adjoining the mall via a parking lot. While Darrin worked a few hours that first day, we went to the local mall and picked Deke up some new shoes, which were a necessary procurement since I had picked up the same shoe, literally giving Deke two left feet. While we were at the mall the power cut off. Unfortunately, when it went out I was getting my wedding rings cleaned and the policy of the store was to have the customers leave, while they locked down the store. Talk about feeling uneasy! Fortunately, after a few more on-offs the lights stayed on and I was able to get my rings. So we high-tailed it out of there and went to check into the hotel and get some food. The boys thought they were the coolest kids ever, because they had their own room. We thought we were the coolest parents because we got two rooms!

One evening, Karen the business manager, took the boys out on the lake in her boat and let them tube. Chase hung on forever. They also rode jet skis and Darrin put Deke between him and Chase. Just the thought of that made my heart flip. Of course Deke loved it!



Thursday I took the kids to the water park. Chase and Dalton stayed with Deke and I in the baby pool for a couple hours (only 12 yr olds can float on their back that long and talk of nothing of real importance. Deke and I played on the steps of the 1/2 ft deep round about (water circulates at a slow rate) baby pool. I met other parents around the pool and after awhile they realized my limitations and offered to help watch Deke so the boys could feel ok about going to ride some of the rides. Other parents even took Deke into the round about, but he was most happy sitting with me on the steps. Before the day was out he dove into the baby pool. First time he scared himself and me too. I grabbed him quick! Second time he dove and kicked! I still got to him, but the fear was gone! He had a buoy suit on and never went under water.

Friday evening, after Darrin got off work we went to Magic Springs amusement park. Just to watch the guys was enough for me. Dalton rode hi first roller coaster and won his first prize from the arcade.

We enjoyed ourselves immensely!

Yoder Reunion

The week after we went to Maui, we flew to PA f or the 3rd tri-annual Yoder reunion. It was held at Sam and Carol Yoder's property. To access the field where the reunion would be held, you drove down from the back of their property, crossing a bridge that lead to a picturesque meadow. On one side of the bridge, creek water flowed over rocks in a dammed area where there was a rope swing that the kids were using to see who could go out the furthest. On the opposite side of the bridge, the creek the water ran freely. You could see crawdads and different fish swimming by.

In the meadow there was a massive tent, and Amish ice cream wagon. We held all the events within the tent. We prayed, played and ATE. On Sunday there was a surprise. An airplane flew over the field possibly 5 times and dropped candy. It was hysterical. Children, teenagers, adults at least one in a wheel chair) and the older adults were chasing after the candy, barely taking the time to pick up the candy, whereas the kids where sliding in and snatching grass and dirt instead of picking up just candy.

During our visit we managed to get a good group of Darrin's friend (about 30 people) at a local place called Richie's................ummmmmmmmmmmummmmmmmmmmmmmm. All I have to say is garlic knots.......heavenly!

It was such a short trip. We didn't see much of Stella and Brad, but what we did was special. While the candy drop was going on, Darrin and his nephews Zach and Mitch were fishing. That evening we went to Stella's for ice cream. While we're there he decides he has to clean the fish..................................barf and was still to eat ice cream. Stella and Brad stopped by the reunion on Sunday. Everyone was happy to see her. I was happy we were be able to say goodbye.

It was time to hit the road. We had stayed at Ray and Nancy, who had son-in-law (brother-in-law) Kurt, install a shower down stairs and made their home accessible for me, I had felt at home there before this, but I can take the hint. ...sniff, sniff stinky. Seriously, for them to do this touched my heart.

Love
Ami


-

Maui

We spent the past week in paradise! We arrived at the Ritz and were pleasantly surprised that our room was upgraded to a suite, because it was the only disabled room available. We felt like real VIP's. There was a foyer, living room area that was massive and had a king-size sofa bed, 60 ft. plasma screen; separate bedroom with a king-size bed and a spacious bathroom with a walk-in shower. There was access to a private patio with a sofa and table. The view was of the ocean and had direct access to the pathways that lead to the beach and pools.

Our first night we met up with my brother and my parents at the Pineapple Grill and ate the first of many fabulous meals, with great company!

We were able to spend every day with each other. We hung out in the cabana by the baby pool where Rudy (my nephew) and Deke played in the water. Each of the couples enjoyed a date night. Mom and Lewis were the first couple to have a night. Mickey, Val and Rudy stayed with us at the hotel, while the kids watched a movie. The adults played Dutch Blitz. Tuesday night we went to a luau that was awesome. The food was scrumptious and the performance was memorable. Darrin and I spent our date night at the Swan restaurant in the Hyatt and were seated in a front table, which had a spectacular view of a waterfall and swan's floating in the water. It was a delicious meal. After dinner we "walked" on a path that was along the ocean. On our last day we enjoyed taking the Sugar Cane train, which was a steam engine train that ran along the ocean side of the island.

May 30, 2008

It's been a crazy busy month at Yoder's. We had both of our bulldog's go into labor on the same day. Out of both litters we had 7 pups. All are beautiful bullies. They are now 4 weeks old and are wobbling around and playing with each other. Their for all rolly-pollies. Vannah's litter is all about eating and drinking water. Jilda's pups have NO interest in anything else other than mommy's milk.

Darrin's mom and step-father came down and stayed with us for a week. They were a huge help and we enjoyed their stay. Darrin, Chase, myself and I'm sure one day Deke will love Stella's cooking. She was cooking all week and spending time with her grand babies. I have a feeling that they went home and collapsed! We managed to do something almost every night. We went shopping, had Maggie Mo ice cream and spent one day at the zoo.

Deke is my little pistol. He has had a cold/ear infection two weeks, but typically his mood is still mischievous and happy. He has so many teeth that I can't keep up with them, He's been extremely affectionate this week and I LOVE it.

Chase is out of school and loving his freedom and the ability to sleep in. He also earned back his cell phone and has been talking non-stop. I've already see that he will probably go over his minutes. He's been warned. He is loving spending time with Deke. They were out there playing under the sprinkler, Of course, Chase was suppose to be rinsing off the floor covers for the pups whelping box. Chase being Chase, turned it into a "water event".

Darrin's travel will stop at the end of July. We are all looking forward to that! Between now and then, we're going to spend a week in Hawaii with my family and then a long weekend in PA for the Yoder reunion. Chase will stay an additional week in PA so that he can attend a christian music festival.

ALS wise my right hand is weakening and beginning to curl. I'm wearing a brace every night, which keeps my finger from curling during my sleep and helps with cramping during the day. I have more severe cramping in my feet and legs. At this point I hesitate taking anything new, so I'm just dealing with it, My power chair has come in, but the paperwork wasn't completed correctly, which means they can't deliver it. Hopefully, that will be worked out shortly.

That's all I have for now. I'll try to do better in updating the blog :)_

Switzerland trip

Switzerland was gorgeous. It was everything I thought it would be and more. The snow, alps, architecture. We didn't realize that they celebrated Easter from Friday to Monday, so most of the shops and restaurants were closed. Oddly enough there were many Italian (go figure) restaurants to choose from. We ate fondue at one of the Italian restaurants, so we're able to say we ate Swiss food, in Switzerland, This same restaurant had horse on the menu. We had eaten at a posh French restaurant the night before, and Darrin was teasing his dad and told him that we could have been eating horse at the French restaurant and not have known it!

We were going to one of our destinations, and were traveling over the alps in a snow storm. We eventually turned around and found a different route. We had rented a handicap van and were able to see the scenery and travel at ease. Air travel with the electric chair proved to be much simpler than we had thought. We did have to ride up a platform to board the plane home, but we couldn't blame them for using this method because the chair weighs approx. 300 lbs. I wouldn't want to lift it!

Ray and Nancy were great traveling companions. We complimented each other and were able to enjoy each others company and share this experience.

Home at last!

Hidee hoo there everyone!

I'm HOME and thrilled about it. It's hard to describe what it's like to go nuts, but I did it. I would like for others to remember this experience. If your loved one starts talking out of their head, get them to the doctor. If Darrin hadn't done this for me I don't know where I'd be. Nobody would think a urinary track infection could cause delirium, yet it does.

Now, I have to point out that this isn't something typical for people my age (37). Of course, it has to happen to me. It's times like this when I wonder if this is a reason that things like this happen to me............a learning experience for ourselves and/or others? Whatever reason it happened, I'd like a break!!!

Deke cut his first lower molar today. My little feller grew longer, lost some of his pot-belly, but he still remembers his mama. Chase is watching me like a hawk, but is starting to relax. Darrin caught up on much needed sleep.

Love to all!

On the way home

I talked to Ami and her and Shirley were on their way home. I am sure that they were going to stop to pick up the little critter! The doctor's are going to continue the antibiotic and they have given Ami something different to help her sleep at night. A lot of her fatigue comes from not sleeping well at night.

I am sure that this weekend will be spent getting ready for the big trip, as well as just spending time together outside of a hospital setting. Ami will probably take over the blogging again 0nce she feels 100%, although I might chime in with something every now and then.

Have a good weekend and make sure to keep in touch with Ami, she will let you know if she is too tired to talk.

Going home Friday!

Hello everyone, Dr. Bertorini said that Ami should be able to go home tomorrow as long as the MRI looks good. He was irritated that they had not done the MRI yet. All of the other doctors have cleared her; internal medicine, pulmonary, and infectious diseases.

Thanks to everyone who was thinking of us this week, it will be nice to sleep on a bed instead of a hospital room couch. I think Ami is through trying experimental medicines, this last round was just too hard on her.

We are looking forward to our trip next Thursday, as long as Ami continues to be in good health.

Update on Ami

Hi everyone, it has been a crazy week for us here in Tennessee. Last week Ami started having some confusion and hallucinations. She ended up falling on Friday and hurt her hip and left side of her body. Since she had fallen several times in the last couple of weeks, we decided a trip to the emergency room for some X-rays was in order.

The good news was that nothing was broken; however she had a urinary tract infection, she was dehydrated and some of her blood results were abnormal. Dr. Bertorini decided to admit her so that we could try to figure out what has been happening. He has had many different doctors see her including a pulmonologist, an infectius disease doctor, an internal medicine doctor as well as a physical therapist to check her swallowing.

On Sunday, Ami woke up refreshed and was able to enjoy a visit with Chase and Deke. We felt like she had turned the corner and were feeling good about her progress. However, Sunday night she did not sleep very well and on Monday she was not doing as good as she had been. We think a big part of what's going on is that her body is not getting the rest she needs.

Dr. Bertorini is going to schedule an MRI to see if they can pinpoint what is causing her headaches and her confusion. He did mention that there is some atrophy of the frontal lobe of her brain, which can happen in people with ALS. We are hoping that this is not too serious and that with rest, antibiotics and other medication Ami can return to her normal, bubbly self!

I will try to keep everyone updated through the blog, since it becomes tiresome repeating everything to a dozen different people. Please keep our family in your prayers and we appreciate all the help and support that everyone is providing.

Hypnotrader is a screen name I use online, not sure why it didn't use Darrin, but it's me!

Februrary 26, 2008

Things are crazy busy here. The girls are in season and we've been taking them back and forth between home and the vet. Their boyfriends, Ellwood and Chopper are really handsome, and we're hoping for loads of bootiful, wrinkled puppies.

Last week was amazing. The MDA patient representative called us and asked if we'd be interested in a used handicap van. I told her that we were indeed looking for a van and she told me that this couple were wanting to give the van away!!!! We met them on Wed. and drove it home. It was so surreal.

The family also turned in an electric chair, which they are letting me use until mine comes in. How awesome is that! I have already dinged the walls a wee-bit .

I've stopped taking the lithium. It's given me severe headaches, slurred speech and confusion. It's just not something I can take.

Chow!

President's Day (Feb. 18) 2008

It's been a busy few weeks, but today seemed sort of quiet and then I realized it was a holiday. Silly me. Being retired causes the days to kinda run together.

Things have been fairly tame here in Yoderville the last few weeks. I was really tired two weeks ago, possibly because the doctor had increased my med or more likely because I was just tired. I fell approx. 3 times. My legs just weren't able to support me. Almost two weeks ago, I asked my doctor to write a RX for Lithium. My request was based on the results of an Italian study, which showed a very high % of ALS patients given Lithium having the progression of ALS stop. So far, I haven't seen or felt any different. Either it's working or there's been no change....giggle.

Deke is still my little menace. He's every where, every second. He's a Houdini baby. He loves to sing and dance. There's a lever at the back of my wheelchair, near the handle and for some reason he loves to stand next to the wheelchair and sing, LOUD. He becomes transfixed when he sees American Idol.

Chase is still my fashionista. He spends more time on his hair than me (with my handicap, that says A LONG time). He has a new girlfriend, but if you ask him, they're just friends. He spends most of his free time with Deke. He did have a hard week at school last week and was beyond grateful that the week is finally over.

My mom spent the last two weeks with us. We enjoyed the time we had together. Mom was able to take an assignment for the weekend in Nashville, so her weeks were split up. We went to see Fool's Gold, which was funny. We did our Valentine's shopping and even managed to get out to the Amish bakery and furniture store in Whiteville. We did something almost every day of the second week (week one I was too tired to do much).

The girls (Savannah & Jilda) have both come in season and we plan to breed them both, I wuv bullie puppies!

Chase's 12th birthday, January 27th, 2008

It's hard to believe that my first baby is 12! This is the first birthday that I bought Chase a present. Every birthday before this, his party was his present. I have to admit, not planning something for a bajillion kids was lovely!

Now don't think we didn't celebrate his birthday! We redid his room by getting a new chocolate bedspread, metal/black desk and bookcase, a computer chair and a chocolate suede chair cover for the wing chair that was in the sun room. He thinks it's all awesome.

He's mentioned several options on what he plans to buy with his birthday money that folks have sent (after he puts 20% in savings): leopard rug, prints for the walls, new CD's and new video games. He's deciding now.

We also went to Chase's favorite restaurant, Stix, which is a hibatchi place. Chase and Deke enjoyed the show put on by the Chef. We ended the evening with confetti cake.

You never know what can happen

A few weeks ago we were at Chase's school for his honor roll (that's our boy!) recogniton. After the kids were given their awards, a lady came up and asked if I'm Ami Yoder. I told her I was and she introduced herself as Crystal Yoder. I was like, "you're the other Yoder's!". We are forever being asked if we're related to so and so Yoder. Crystal asked if it could be that we were related and I said, "Not unless you're from Belleville, PA." She died laughing and explained that her husband WAS from Belleville and that her mother was a Yoder (not related) from Lewistown, PA. I'm thinking "No WAY" and then just start laughing. Lucky for me she saw the humor in the situation. We chatted so easily that we decided to exchange numbers.

Later that evening Crystal called and had been thinking about if there really was a relation between us and had chatted with her family. Again, the coincidences were unreal. Darrin has been extremely interested in the family genealogy since we plan to go to Switzerland in March, and has been looking up the Yoder history. Since we had so much to talk about we decided to get everyone together for dinner. Crystal volunteered her home and told me not to worry about anything. That's another good thing with having accepted that I have ALS....I have no guilt in accepting those offers. (See friends, I HAVE made progress!)

This past Sat. we went to the Yoder's for dinner. Not only did we have a great time getting to know Doug (husband) and their 3 sons A.J., Grey and Zane, we also found out that Doug and Darrin are actually 7th cousins. We were all thrilled because now we have family in town!!!

We ended the night by playing Dutch Blitz. I did explain before the game started that Darrin doesn't break rules or give handicaps (even if you DO have physical restrictions). Crystal came close to smokin' Darrin. She plans to get the game and practice for the next round.

Kansas Yoder family visit - Jan 19th

I'm behind in my blogging. So I'll just start where I left off :)

Darrin's Uncle John, Aunt Joyce, Uncle Mo and Aunt Karen came for a visit on the weekend of the 19th. It was a quick trip, but we enjoyed our time together immensely. Of course the Aunts cooked. Joyce made a delicious chicken cordon blue and Karen made tea berry ice cream...everything was lip smacking good.

We visited, caught up on all the families, learned more about the family history, laughed and laughed. Then laughed some more.

It was a weekend of love and enjoyment.

Way to go Madeleine And The Audet Family

I have to brag on Madeleine. She raised $400.00 from a bake sale and raffle at her school. The proceeds are to go to ALS TDI.

Once again, I'm amazed at the generosity of people and the hearts of our children today.

Thank you Madeleine!

Donate button on the blogsite

Some folks may or may not have noticed the donate button that is on my blog. We've added this feature because there are people that want to and have given directly to our family. Some people find all they can do is write a check.

Again, it's very hard to "ask" for anything. So I will explain that our family has had and will have more unexpected costs. We're going to have to get a handicap van, automatic generator and do home renovations so that I can get in and out of the shower. Also, we have a "wish-list" of things to do and places to go while I still can. Examples are going on a second honeymoon to Switzerland. Chase wants him and I to take a cruise. We have family reunions in Tahoe and PA. My dream trip is to go to Maui. We also want to go to Cedar Point amusement park. I might as well get shook up and turned upside down just for the thrill of it!

Having said all that, I have to add that 15% of what we receive will be donated to the ALSA and ALS TDI organizations. I have hope that there will be a cure for ALS. Whether it comes in time for me or someone else, I still have hope. Other than hope, I pray for a slow progression so that I can enjoy my family and friends for as long as possible.

Share the Care meeting Update

Thank you to everyone that came and everyone that will be getting their packets today via Rebekah or Dilly. It was an emotional meeting, but very productive as well. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone and am looking forward to seeing folks outside of that room again.

We're working on getting the care calendar out to everyone and expect that it will be released within the week. This will allow everyone to see what need the family has and then they can volunteer whatever they'd like to do. The captains will be your points of contact.

Captains are as follows:

Dilly Lewis - Captain of evening care givers (i.e. Ami's sitter)
Jennie McDivitt - Food coordinator
Holly Ford - Captain
Carol DeBoe - Captain (Austin)
Dena Stauffer - Captain (PA)

Kelly Fears is the team coordinator. She ultimately makes sure we have the coverage that we need, creates the calendar and keeps the captains in the loop.

Again, thanks to everyone that came. As you know, it was emotionally very difficult for me to have to ask for people's help, and share how I feel about becoming a burden to my family and friends. Since my diagnosis, I've realized how my hope in humanity has always been high and that nobody has let me down yet. No matter how bad this disease sucks, I have been seeing so many positives. Relationships growing stronger; healing for other families effected by the disease; and finally, learning that everyone can get something positive out of being a part of our lives.

Friday, January 11, 2007

We've been getting ready for our Share the Care meeting this Saturday 2:00 at Collierville United Methodist Church in the dining room. Everyone is welcome to come.

We've been doing great. I've been feeling fantastic and getting around well. I've fallen 3 times. Not hard falls, more like a whithering. My body just won't support me. So I've taken to using the wheelchair and pedal around Fred Flintstone style. So far, I haven't had a wreck or put any holes in the walls, so I call that pretty skilled pedaling! I had to have a MRV (determines the blood flow through the arteries of the brain) and found out that I do indeed have a brain and that it's working fine...giggle...as fine as my mind can be. Turns out that they ran the wrong test, so I have to go back next Tuesday and get the correct test done. Of course, I asked if that means I won't be charged for the first one....harrrrrrr harrrr

Chase made the honor roll and is being recognized Monday at school. We're quite proud of our little feller! He's made a new friend at school. Ms. Holly Ford. She helped us with the Walk fundraiser at the school and we've gotten to know her since. Her father had ALS, which is a bond between her and Chase. She's a phenomenal woman and has amazed us in her spirit and willingness to help our family. Chase also won 3rd place on his speech. He is going to the county competition.

Deke is walking and looks so precious doing it! He loves to clean. He pushes his dirt devil vacuum around, sweeps and swifters. He loves to just push me out of the way. The other day I wheeled into the pantry and he shut the door behind me! It's too narrow for me to back up and sits under the stairs, so the ceiling is slanted, which meant I couldn't stand up and wouldn't ya know, the light was burned out. Lucky for me, Chase was upstairs and heard me hollering. That little menace!

We're on the look out for a used handicap van. My power chair should be here within a few weeks and we'll need to be able to load me up into it. I'm actually looking forward to the power chair because it'll give me more mobility.

Funny story. Shirley and I went to Costco yesterday and I used one of their power scooters. I was backing out of the bathroom and ran into the garbage can and then went forward and bounced off the wall. It was actually kinda like bumper cars.....snort. That's only the second time I've used one of those. The first time was at Wal-Mart and that was a disaster. The rows are just too narrow. I ran into everything and everybody! Darrin acted like he didn't know me..........chuckle...snort.

I'm working on recording my voice so that I can use it later when I can't speak and communication will be electronic. I'd rather it be my voice, than a computer animated one. It's really pretty nifty, but irritating because you have to say phrases at a certain pitch, annunciation and loudness. It doesn't detect attitude either, when I have to repeat it 500 hundred times.

I'll update after the meeting.

Enjoy your weekend!

Share the Care starting soon

We'll be contacting friends, family, co-workers and church members soon in regards to setting up a Share the Care group for me. This group's purpose is to help relieve my caregivers, fill in the gaps when help is needed, and/or provide a skill that you're particularly good at, etc. I'll be calling folks individually and inviting you to come to the meeting so that you can determine if this is something you would like to be a part of. Your participation is, of course, voluntary and the time commitment is at your discretion.

We hope that you'll be a part our group. Your help will always be appreciated. More info about the concept can be found at www.sharethecare.org.

Happy New Years 2008!

We hope everyone ate their black-eye peas, pork & sauerkraut, or whatever your traditional good luck food is. We all took a bite of a hot dog on the way back from the Little Rock airport. Hopefully that covered us until we could eat a Yoder Meat's pork loin today, which was fantabulous!!!!



We spent the New Year in Austin with my parents and sister. It was wonderful seeing the canyons in Austin and soaking up the flavor of Texas. Although we stayed close to home and spent most of the time visiting, we did manage to get in a trip to Salt Lick BBQ, which was a beautiful drive up into the canyons. It is a real rustic place were they smoke the meats in front of you and have chicken only in "season", i.e. if it's been cooked or not. We found this hysterical, or at least I did. What season isn't chicken in ?



You can never not do a little shopping and there was a new outdoor outlet mall near Mom's, so we headed over there and picked up new shoes for me and the kids. I used the Clark's gift certificate Darrin gave me for x-mas. We put Deke's new Nike's on him and you would have thought he had on gravity boots. I'm still laughing!



New Year's day us kids took off for the movies while Mom and Lewis watched Deke. We saw The Legend. It was a good movie, but I have to say the ending was lame. That night Missie and Travis took Chase out to shoot off fireworks. No one was hurt, no fires started and the future pyro of America had his fix. Lewis, Mom, Darrin, Deke and I shot off a few firecrackers in the drive. We didn't want to do too many because we were in the city. Of course, the quote from the night was from my mom to Lewis, "The gasoline wasn't necessary." Darrin shot off one firework and it fell to the side and started exploding around us. We took off for the house before anyone called the Po Po on us.



Although the travel was harder than I realized (wheelchair, stroller, baby, diaper bag, carry on, purse and the 3 of us), we made it! Home never felt so good.



It was a trip I'll cherish. I enjoyed every moment with my mummy.