I have been away for some time , but this time I return with a new designation- Grandma!  Little Jasper Lee was born in the wee hours of August 11 and is a very welcome addition to our small family.  My son and his fiancee are proud parents and Mike, my husband is a very proud grandpa. Ali is recovering very well and Roger is a very attentive to Ali’s and Jasper’s needs.  

When I was 23, I started bleeding for no apparent reason.  I stood up from my bed and a large amount of blood and clots dropped out.  I had no pain or other signs of anything being wrong.  I called my mom, then the ambulance.  While in my apartment the paramedics could not get a blood pressure on me, nor could they find a vein to start an IV. On the way to the hospital (with lights and sirens) they put me in MAST pants and told me to let them know if I was getting sleepy.  Well, I got sleepy twice on the way and they inflated the pants and I came around.  When I got to ER, the doctors and nurses were working hard to get an IV in.  During a more lucid moment I suggested they try my left arm again and on the third attempt in that arm(after 12 tries in my right arm) they finally got a blood return.  I remember thinking, “Now I can relax.” So I did.  But on my way to total relaxation, I told them to inflate the MAST pants again.  The next thing I knew, I was looking down on the room and saw the team working on me.  Then I looked up, past the ceiling tiles and saw a light, beckoning me.  I told myself “go to the light” and did.  I remember hearing the doctor in charge saying, “We’re losing her.”  Then one of the nurses started crying and said, “She’s my age.” As I was slowly floating to the light I came to a halfway point, a sort of holding room.  My late grandfather was there with a man and woman who seemed to be a couple.  Grandpa said, “Sherry, these are your grandparents, your father’s parents.  We came here to tell you that you need to go back down there and fight for your life.  It is not your time yet.  You have important things to do.  Please let your grandma know I am fine and I can wait for her.” I asked a few questions that I can’t recall now and Grandpa answered then said, “You need to go back now.”  The next thing I knew, I was back in my body and the doctor was saying, “I think she’s coming around.” 
I was in the hospital three days and had many transfusions.  The bleeding stopped all of a sudden and the doctors never had a real good reason for my hemorrhage, but I have had a history of ovarian cysts since then and it was suggested, among other things, that one burst. I did not share this with anyone until about six months later and I told my mom.  When she didn’t act like I was completely looney, I described the couple and she confirmed that they were probably my paternal grandparents.  Just getting the story out to someone and having them believe me helped a lot.  I then let my grandma know what Grandpa had said and from time to time over the years she would ask me to tell her the story again.  She said it gave her comfort.

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

Turned out Blue Monday was not so bad after all.  Went to the doctor, who asked me why I was there.  “Your office called me.”  Well, it turned out to be because I had two slightly elevated ANA blood tests.  My neurologist wanted me to talk with a rheumatologist.  The new doctor said the elevation was probably from my thyroid condition that I have had forever and see an endocrinologist about.  The neuro guy was concerned about lupus, but as I told the new guy, “It’s never lupus- according to House.”  He agreed.
So, after I found out I worried a month about nothing, I went shopping.  I got wedding gifts for my niece, shoes for my husband, paint for the spare room, and a baby thing for my grandbaby.  Then I remembered a uniform shop in Alliance I was told about and found 4 new uniforms!  Good times! 
Came home and took a nap then talked to my sister  and settled in to watch some HGTV for the evening until Mike came home.

Monday, August 2-
I have been patiently waiting for this day for a month now.  I go to the rheumatologist to find out why I have to go to the rheumatologist!
I have been in the dark since I got the phone call from his office saying he was referred by the neurologist I was seeing for Guillain-Barre syndrome.  Bad bloodwork landed me in this spot.  Wish I could have studied for that blood test!

It’s Saturday!  Today is foot doctor day at work so I am scheduled at 8 or 8:30.  I’m choosing 8:30.  I don’t really like feet so this assignment is a little repugnant to me, but I’ll muddle through.
I’d like to go for a drive this afternoon, so maybe I’ll call Mom and see if she has plans.  We could drive somewhere and get some supper and catch up.  It’s been a couple of months since we’ve had a chance to do that. 
My niece gets married next Sunday.  My husband never wears anything but jeans. (he wore jeans to our wedding, but then again, so did I)
I bought a nice pair of slacks for him and had him try them on and, geez, he dresses up good!  I’ll take pics next week and post them.  I’d like to get one of us together.  The only one I have together is from our reception 21 years ago.
Roger and Ali are supposed to go, also.  I hope they can, for she is great with child.  But too cute!
Well, better go get ready for work.

I missed this a lot!  This week’s challenge is self portrait.  This one is of me from my computer. 

Hello xanga friends!  It has been a lonnnng time since I’ve visited.  I have a few things I want to get off of my chest.

First, a little complaint about a social networking site.  My friend got kicked off because she requested to friend the ex-girlfriend of her grandson!  I believe she had no ill intent.  We will not know for sure, because instead of ignoring the request the young lady in question turned my friend in to the powers-that-be who yanked my friend’s privileges. Not fair!

Second, another friend had a family “problem” that has me questioning my friend’s true Christian beliefs.  I know it is not my place to judge or be vindictive  but having been on the receiving end of her judgement, I can’t help myself.  This woman portrays the salt of the earth lifestyle yet does not seem to be able to forgive a family member for a past indiscretion.  It is like the relative put some dirt on the surface of her nice clean cloak of righteousness.  She forgets it all washes out.

Third, this friend also got me thinking of a conversation we once had about “evil” computers.  I liked ‘em, she wouldn’t bring that evil into her home.  To me, computers are like guns- it all depends how you use them.  I don’t have a gun in my house because I am doppy.  I would probably blow my big toe off and end up TOTALLY off balance.  That is my choice.  If other people have guns, so be it.  That doesn’t stop me from liking them.  This friend thought that since I am computer literate that I was inviting the devil into my home.  She actually said that to me! I refrained from telling her that since she had many guns in her house that he was also abiding there, because I don’t believe that.  There is enough evil lurking out there in the world that I don’t have to go looking around every corner  for it.  I have myself armored with my belief and pray that is enough.

Okay…I seem to be all better now.  Have a wondrous day!

From http://weblog.xanga.com/LifeNeedsProtection/658215927/item.html‘s site:
Here are the ten things I want to do in my life:

1. Find time to volunteer more.  One of the biggest things I would love to do is volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.  I have given money and materials to this project.  I want to swing a hammer or wield a drill.  Until now, my Saturdays have been pretty booked by work, family or whatever.  I would prefer to do this with my husband, but I will probably have to do this on my own.
2. Have all my bills paid off. 
3. See my son get married (and have children- Plural).
4. Go on a medical mission trip.  I’d like to go somewhere and use my skills to help kids.
5. Run a 5k race.
6. I would like to go to Victoria Falls and swim in the little pool that is right on the edge of the falls.  I am afraid of heights and this would take a lot of intestinal fortitude.  I was thinking I could combine this with #4 as a side trip and it wouldn’t cost as much.
7.  Retire with my husband. We are nowhere near ready- see #2.
8.  Just start walking and take a journey.  It may last days or it just hours, but I would like to walk  on a journey.  There was a couple a few years ago, that walked all of the Buckeye Trail here in Ohio.  All 1445 miles of it.  I’m not that ambitious, but I would like to do a portion of it.
9. Hike part of the Appalchian Trail.
10. Go to Hickory, NC and research my Cherokee roots. I have to go there, because that is where my (biological) father was born and I would like to see the area.  My mother tells me it is beautiful.  I would like to find birth records and such for my grandparents.  This is part of my heritage.

Scattegories: as suggested by http://weblog.xanga.com/sarahsD/658040185/scattegories.html

It's harder than it looks! 

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following... 

they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up! 

Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. 

You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name. . . 

 What is your name...........................Sherry

4 Letter Word...................................slut, First thing that came
 to my mind.

Vehicle............................................. Subaru

City.................................................Santa Fe

Boy Name........................................ Steve

Girl Name........................................ Shaleen

Alcoholic drink..................................  Sangria

Occupation........................................ sailor

Something you wear..........................steel toed shoes

Celebrity...........................................Steve Irwin, RIP

Food.................................................salad

Something found in bathroom…...........spigot

Reason for being late...........................slept in

Cartoon Character.............................. speed racer

Something you shout..........................Stop!

Animal............................................. Siamese cat

Body part.........................................spine

Word to describe you...........................silly





Now Ten things I want to learn...
1. Patience
2. Leaded glass art
3. How to properly insert an I.V.-I have the book learning down, 
it's the actual insertion that eludes me. 
(I can't seem to find willing victims.)
4. To design my own Xanga theme
5. Photography - digital
6. More about gardening
7. Bricklaying
8. More about herbs
9. Accounting, although I hate math.
10. Estate planning- I am executor for my parents and they 
now own two farms and there are six heirs.  
I'm in for some trouble.

Whew! 
I gotta go..
1. to the bathroom
2. to the bank
3. get started on making my lists come to life.
Later.

I bought some new little solar powered lanterns the other day.  I kept forgetting to check if they worked.  Tonight I remembered to find out. They are on my patio in the back yard.  As I was waling there in the dark I noticed that my lawn was decorated with little seeds from the large maple tree in my side yard. 

I am amazed by theses whirligig seeds.  When they are on the tree they
remind me of bats hanging from the branches, with their wings slightly
spread. 

As they come off the tree and float on the breeze they are
like helicopters.  As they near the ground, it seems they break apart
and the the seed end gets deposited nearest the ground, leaving the fin
sticking up.  These fins are luminescent in the moonlight of the full
moon.  BTW, the lights do work. : )