Weekend

Saturday came and I did destinkify myself and manage to do some stuff around the house: laundry and working on some envelopes for Christmas cards. I even made it over to my mom's to go to church and then out for dinner. I also did some Just Dance 2 after I arrived back home.

The major snow stayed away for the day.

Today, Sunday, I slept the day away. I also read a little and watched some TV. Other than that, I pretty much did nothing. I picked up the crafting stuff and kind of put it away; okay, I really just bagged it up and put it on the other couch but that's away enough for now.

My mom went out and bought a live tree for Christmas all by herself today. I'm pretty impressed with that. It's making me think about a real tree instead of my old stand-by artificial one. Either way I think I am tempting fate because Edison climbed that tree a LOT last year. He's a lot bigger now and I think he can topple the whole thing over.

No major snow again today. I'm thankful for that and no snow on the week's horizon either, although I do love a good snow day.

I need to really start checking my blood sugars twice a day every day. I have been very lackadaisical about that. I am fairly good at taking my meds even if they do upset my stomach and give me the runs. Sorry for that visual. I'm almost to the point of taking everything every day but I do take a lot of meds for the MS, depression, and diabetes. Sometimes it just seems like too much and I want to just barf because everything going down my throat is pills, pills, pills.

On the bright side, I just heard from a friend I had lost contact with a few years back. So here's to you PK for a phone call that made my evening. It's so good to be back in touch again. Take care of you and that pneumonia!

Now it's time for more pills to get myself ready for bedtime. I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving and enjoyed time with family and friends.

Happy 4th and Happy July!

Today is America's birthday and my first post for July. I'm watching some made-for-TV movie, okay more like listening to it while I type away. I've had one solid week off from school and I have done nothing more than to read and sleep the time away with an occasional trip out and about to run errands.

I did have my latest Tysabri infusion on Friday, a sort of pre-4th of July celebration. After my infusion I went out with my colleague and friend, Mary, and we enjoyed a fattening lunch at Friendly's, along with a trip to Kohl's for some bloomers and other things for me, and a trip to the store I covet, Hobby Lobby. I was picking up some stickers and marked down papers to create my luau scrapbook of my last 5th grade class's (what else?) luau.

I have had two school dreams/frightmares in the last few days. Usually I don't have those until sometime late in August. I am reading some novels I'll be using in class so maybe that's prompted the dreams. Of course, this reading is in between my summer fun reading of magazines and chick lit.

Have I mentioned that I might have diabetes? If I did already, I apologize. My memory of the past is crystal clear but I can tell you the same story twice in ten minutes and not realize it. My last blood test (from a few months ago) showed a high glucose level so I am going on Tuesday to have a second test done for my A1C level. That will be the clincher as to whether I am diabetic or not. I have had issues that mimic diabetes for a few months so I am not entirely surprised by this new journey to a diagnosis (or not).

I don't drink much at work because I can't get to the bathroom on my own schedule.I do, however, drink a lot at home. I also pee a lot and wake up at night to urinate as well. I also noticed at work a few months ago some problems with my eyesight getting blurry at times. I also keep getting UTIs which can be another sign of diabetes. So if I am a type-2 diabetic, it will not come as a complete surprise out of left field. It just means I really need to get my $hit together as far as eating and exercise goes.

Let's face it, it's not healthy to be a good 75 pounds overweight and I know that. I also know that I adore the new McD's caramel frappe and fresh cut pineapple (no, not together). I enjoy Zumba when I do it but I also enjoy my frequent naps. It's all a matter of balance. Eat less and move more and maybe IF I am diabetic I can make it go away by getting control of my body.

Maybe I'll need to change the title of the blog or start a new one... I am dealing well with the MS and am in remission. I have dealt with a lot of messy stuff but there is more still to deal with. If there weren't, I wouldn't be overweight. But right this moment I feel blessed to be alive, to be as healthy as I am, and to live in this great country.

Happy birthday America, land that I love!

New Year thoughts

I had dinner today with my parents sans siblings who are away from home. The turkey dinner was good, made even more so by the fact that all I have to do is show up and eat it. It was after the chowing down that we sat around and reminisced about family members not with us, my siblings, the economy, and life growing up.

From the outside looking in, I had what probably looked like a darned good childhood and adolescence. That was primarily a shaky house of cards but I made it through. I think now that my parents were stressed about many things as I grew up. I am not letting them off the hook but I think they mostly did what they thought was right. They are not people who believe in mental illness and therapy for anyone, least of all their own child and there I was severely depressed and bulimic for many years. I was afloat in a sinking ship in the midst of a typhoon. I needed help and understanding and they just could not provide that. So I ate and purged and ran and cried and wrote about my suicidal thoughts.

I came through the storm to the calm on the other side. I'm here and I'm finally ending therapy for the first time in ten years because I am doing well. I have survived and thrived and now I can write about the positive parts of my life. I'm in a much better place than I was even a year ago.

I see my parents as the flawed but loving people they are now. I see them getting older and wonder how long I will have them in my life. I can hug them now when I leave their house and truly wish them positive thoughts. I see the three of us as adults and not just me as the hurt child I was for so long. Shedding that role is like a caterpillar emerging from a cocoon after resting in the chrysalis for so long.

I have beautiful wings that are begging me to try them out. Watch me floating through this fabulous world, viewing everything with new eyes.

Happy 2010 to you all.

Where have I been?

So where have I been and more importantly, do you care? I have been busy with work and kitten duty and just taking a break from the blog. I have been thinking very little about my multiple sclerosis and about multiple sclerosis in general. I haven't even been reading my MS friends' blogs. I have just been living in the moment, sometimes blissfully and sometimes woefully but I have just been breathing and going with the flow.

Christmas was wonderful. It started with Christmas Eve at BJM's house where I arrive early to help out/chat for the party that takes place at her home. Christmas was spent at my parents' house with my younger sister. It was her first Christmas home in three years because she has been in Iraq the last two years. My brother is stationed in Germany and he traveled to Rome and Turkey with some friends for the holidays.

Gifts were exchanged and I had great joy in my heart as presents were opened by family and friends. I think that is one of my most favorite parts of the holiday: buying gifts for others. It's a neat challenge to seek out something special for someone special.

My sister leaves tomorrow to go see her best friend for a few days. Then she is off to Afghanistan next month. It was weird to hear her say, "I'll see you in 2011!" I was at the house helping her make deviled eggs today. Something so simple compared to what she'll be doing next month.

So how was your holiday? I hope it rocked!

I'll try to come back with more regularity. :)

Leaving on a jet plane maybe?

I may be leaving on a jet plane but instead of going to Roma it looks like I will be going to Maine instead. My BFF from college lives in Maine and she asked me to come if I didn't go to Italy. So Christmas looks to be stateside but happy in a different way.

I haven't seen my best pal in about ten years, since I was still married. My siblings will be in Rome and my parents will be in Las Vegas. I stayed home alone this past Christmas as my parents were in LV and my siblings were in Iraq. At least this year I know everyone will be safe. I guess holidays truly change as you grow up and everyone moves away.

It's sad in a way because we'll probably never have a Christmas where we're all together again. Both my siblings will be in the Army which will take them far and away and my brother has told us he won't be home again in the states for a while. It's the same with Thanksgiving. Those are my two favorite holidays and we're so far apart. Maybe that's why those two days seem more special than ever now that we're separated.

I guess going to Maine will just be another way to celebrate. And I'll be able to decorate two trees instead of just one. You have to look on the bright side.

No one else cares but...

I love Netflix because I get to see the movies and the TV shows I miss from going to bed at 9 p.m. I also get to see some shows I missed from previous years. I've been watching Joan of Arcadia and just as it gets good, reeeeeeeeally good, the show was canceled.

That just torques me to no end. The show was a wonderful spin off from the idea of Joan of Arc with Amber Tamblyn playing the lead role of Joan as a high schooler/"chosen one" at Arcadia High School. At the end of the fantabulous second season there was a creepy cliff hanger between Joan and Ryan Hunt who showed up in just the last two episodes. Ryan was the villain, the evil doer and he and Joan were squaring up for battle when they canceled the show.

They CANCELED the show just as they were reaching the (ahem) climax of two seasons. I'll never know how it ends now although I suspect Joan would have been the winner between the two forces.

Instead, I am forced to pop in another Netflix DVD and am watching "The Other Boleyn Girl". Well, half watching and half typing.

If you read this on Sunday evening and get the chance, I highly recommend watching the PBS Memorial Day concert broadcast at 8 p.m. eastern time. Remember the reason for the holiday.

To post, but what about?

I feel the need to put something down here because it's been several days since I've made an appearance on the blog. So what should I write about?


Easter

It's come and gone for another year and I went to my parents' to celebrate the holiday. I had the opportunity to Facebook chat with my brother who is still in Iraq in the morning. My sister who is stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY called in the afternoon. I was the lucky recipient of an Easter basket with a solid chocolate bunny, some Reese's peanut butter eggs, and some scratch off lottery tickets. I don't usually get a basket but had requested a small one and my wish came true.

I called bio-dad in the evening and capped the day off with the latest episode of the "Amazing Race".



Other stuff

I have about three weeks before I go back to work. I am both delighted and concerned that my "free time" is coming to an end. I even had a frightmare today about my class behaving in a terrible way and not listening to me. I have the what if's. What if I mess up? What if I can't handle it? What if, what if, what if? What if I am fabulous?



More other stuff

Today's chores included doing a load of laundry. The washer is located outside my door in the basement. It started out like any other load of laundry with the detergent and the clothes and the machine. Then something went bad, terribly, horribly bad. The darned thing wouldn't drain and spin dry my clothes!

Zoinks! That left me with an open washer filled to the brim with water and clothes. I had to reach in and pull the water-logged items out and try to wring them out the best I could. Then I had to make two trips with slightly less water-logged clothing items over to another building so I could use that washer.

And I was vanquished as this time this other machine performed its draining and spin drying cycle. Of course this required me to make another trip to get the laundry to put into the dryer in my own apartment building but I finished the laundry.

Yes, you read that correctly. I finished the laundry!

That's all I've got for now. Weebs

Goodbye tree, hello sore arms

It's Friday but when you're not working, pretty much every day seems the same. Today is the day when BJM comes to help me put the tree away in its original box. We've got strong tape and one able body and another mostly able body to accomplish this task. I have the tree lights turned on as part of our last hurrah.


I woke up this morning with two sore arms and no real reason for it. I also had a temp of 100.2 when I checked it after my nap. My temp goes up and down all the time and I'm not sure why. It could be hormonal or it could just be some wacky symptom that may or may not have anything to do with MS. The arms I'll keep watch on because that may be something related to the MS. Or not. Ah, that MS is a sneaky thing.


I need to make some calls to my doctors next week for notes on the extended sick bank leave and I believe I will ask/beg for a script for some PT. My back and hips area just feel so tight and the muscles seem seized up. Even standing in the shower (on my new non-slip rubber mat) feels like it's pulling on those muscles. Standing up for a long time = a few minutes = some uncomfortableness and pain.


This takes the fun out of shopping which is why I don't do much of that. First, there's the getting in the car and driving somewhere that requires me to stay awake and alert. That's tough in itself. Then you need to get out and walk around which brings forth the previous issue. God forbid if you find something you want to but because then that means you have to carry it around with you which is also difficult. There's more walking and potentially more carrying and then one has to drive home.


Oh, and I like to look around while I drive because I am so easily distracted. I notice the weather, and decorations, and new houses, and signs, and people walking, and other cars and so on. I save a lot of money this way.


That's all I've got as BJM is on her way and the tree is in need of one last look of appreciation for its service.

The end of Christmas

I'm showing my MS symptoms here while I am trying to undecorate my Christmas tree. Standing for a few minutes and bending and holding those little tiny colored ornaments is killing me. Again, it's like a mini-marathon of activity. Do a little and then sit down for a while.


I have a friend coming over on Friday to help me take down and store the empty tree. She thinks it will fit back into its original box and she, being the same person who showed me that the oven door can come off, may just be correct. If it was just me I'd probably end up with it in the living room all year long so thank goodness for my friend, the Goddess of Cleaning, BJM.


I'm also trying to get my sick bank leave extended. That seems to be much easier to get an extension compared to the original request to use sick bank time. The crazy thing about it is that it's deja vu all over again. My dad had a nuclear stress test on Tuesday and the results weren't good. He has an artery completely blocked and needs surgery again. It is supposed to be scheduled for Monday of next week. This will be his fourth surgery in about 6 weeks, all on his heart.


In other news, I received a nice blog comment from Pitney Bowes who must have people scouring google to see where their name turns up. I mentioned a neat program that they were promoting called Holiday Mail for Heroes in early December. You could send cards to a certain address and the cards would be distributed to military personnel and vets all over the world. I sent in some cards left over from last Christmas and a few new ones from this year. I've already bought the clearance cards so I can participate in the program next year.

Here's the blog comment from Pitney Bowes:
***********
Pitney Bowes has left a new comment on your post "Holiday Mail for Heroes, an easy way to help other...":

On behalf of everyone at Pitney Bowes and the American Red Cross, thank you for all of your support in helping to spread the word about the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program.

We would like you to know that we’ve not only reached the goal of delivering one million cards to US service members, veterans and military families, but we surpassed it! And it’s all because people like you and your blog readers who got involved. View the following video for more details and a personal message of thanks from all of us: http://blip.tv/file/1643672/.

We could not have done it without you.

Big days

Yesterday was a big day in my world, as big days go. I had two, count 'em two, appointments that day to deal with health issues. The first appointment was at 9:30 with my therapist which was good. I had some stuff I needed to talk about, family stuff that has been brought to the forefront of my mind recently.

Then I drove for about 45 minutes to go to appointment number two which was my Tysabri tune-up at 11:30. Time for my monthly infusion of liquid gold. The appointment went well and quickly except my IV machine started beeping twice for no reason which is annoying especially when the nurses are trying to eat their lunches.

Next I went to Barnes and Noble to purchase some tomes for me and a card for the people whose dog I hit on New year's Day on the way home from my parents' house. I bought the book Dewey about the cat who lived in a library in Iowa after being dumped in the book return slot in the middle of the freezing winter. I saw the story on the Sunday CBS morning show a few weeks back and now Dewey is a hit even though he has gone to the big shelves in the sky.

The poor dog was in the other lane and trotting into mine with no particular fear of large vehicles moving at a rapid velocity. There was a truck approaching in the other lane and I was trying to slow down from my 55 mph to avoid the dog. He didn't move, just stood there and there was that sickening thump as I hit him head on and he went twirling over into the snowbank.

I drove a few houses up to where there was someone outside and asked him if he knew who owned a white dog. He didn't and I called my parents to ask them what to do. They said to call the sheriff's department and report it as a non-emergency.

As I was about ready to leave the man's driveway, I could see two trucks back where the dog was hit. I turned around and drove back down and met the owner and another good Samaritan. I explained the situation to the owner who was very nice to me and not mean at all. I thought, more like feared, that he would be yelling at me or cussing me out but no dice. The dog had bit his owner as he was now in shock and pain.

We stood out there about 20 minutes in the frigid cold trying to get the dog back into the truck to go to the emergency vet's office. I took the owner's name and number and told him I would call him back the next day, which was Friday.

I didn't sleep well and woke up very early on Friday, too early to call. I eventually fell back asleep and when I called they reported the dog had to be put down because his spinal card was broken. I felt like crap.

That brings me to the pet sympathy card and I wrote a $75 check to help them with the emergency expenses. My friends said that was generous but I felt so bad about the dog. His owner had let him off his lead back out behind their house to run and romp and he couldn't get him back on the lead. The dog headed to the road where he indeed had no fear of cars. Apparently there was honking from other cars before I came around the corner and inevitably ran into him.

I'm so sorry, Comet. I wish that hadn't happened to you.

more ramblings

Dear Blog,


Why is it always about you? Why, for once, couldn't I wake up and find that you've done something wonderfully thoughtful for me like drive to Dunkin Donuts and pick up some hot chocolate and a pumpkin muffin? Does it always have to be about you?


And tonight, it's New Year's Eve, and you didn't even ask me if I wanted to go out or have a cozy get-together at home. So now I am doing nothing which may be good because I can't fit into my fat pants still, let alone pantyhose which never fit me as I have the muffin top of muffin tops people. Me naked is frightening and clothed isn't much prettier.


I just wish you'd consider doing something more than the typical quiet blog and put a little effort into me and what I want as I spend so much time thinking about you and trying to please my public (small as it may be).


Sigh, blogs will be blogs...


Sincerely,
Weeble Girl

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and more merriment

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!


I had another surprise yesterday when my brother also called from Iraq. The best part was that he said he loved me twice which made me feel all gushy and sad and then I cried a little. He called when I wasn't home and was over at BJM's house getting ready for her Christmas Eve party.


Every year for the past several years I spend Christmas Eve over at her house with her family. I don't drink or anything and I go early and am the first to leave but it's a fun tradition that I really look forward to each year. I arrive a few hours before the rest of the guests and help my friend put together some goodies, unwrap plates and napkins, and shell boiled eggs and do other simple tasks. Simple being the name of the game.


We chatter, and arrange food and exchange gifts and get ready for the general merriment that comes with each new arrival. I like her family very much and they always seem to like me well enough in return. It's one of my favorite parts of the secular part of the holiday season.


I tell my cat, Franklin, that his birthday is on Christmas so he got a huge stocking today filled with goodies like fresh catnip, new mice to chew on, balls to roll around and a laser pointer shaped like a mouse. He just ate some catnip and we played with one of the mice for a while. He's now happily settled in his big red cube.


I opened up my last few presents from my parents today and my stocking. I have some fun scratch off crossword puzzle lottery tickets which I will stretch out over the next few days to see if I am a big winner. I made a new lasagna for me today and I'll put some in the freezer for the future. Tomorrow I will head back towards the Special K lifestyle and in another day or so I should be happily back on track because I don't go out and do anything special for New Year's Eve. I'll go over to my parents' house for ham on New Year's Day and that's about the size of it in my quiet world.


Happy holidays no matter what or when you celebrate!

An angel got its wings with today's phone call!

My sister called from Iraq this morning and woke me up. I didn't care about the waking up part because I thought the phone call would be from my mom saying something was going on with my dad. Nope, it was my sister and it was the first time I've heard her voice in over a year!


Now that is a wonderful gift and the ting-a-ling of the telephone must mean that an angel received its wings! I feel so good right now and it's not just the endorphin high of completing my workout video of 1 mile plus a little extra of the WATP DVD. I'm just so happy to have talked to her and hear her voice. It beats any gift that she could give me.


So here's a shout out to my sis, CNS, the best sister a girl could ask for on this third rock from the sun! I just found out she reads my blog so maybe she'll appreciate the recognition.


It wasn't even so much what we talked about, it was just simply the act of talking and feeling close to her with the Christmas holiday knocking at our door.


As for Special K, I have fallen off the wagon hard for about three days now and tonight is a Christmas party at one of my oldest, err rather one of my longest, friend's home. I go early and help a little tiny bit with the preparations like mixing up a dip and spreading out the crackers artfully on a plate. I'm the first to arrive and the first to leave because I just can't stay up much later than 8 or maybe 8:30, if I am lucky.

That means Special K at home before I go and then munching and nibbling on snacky snacks and cookies and other yummy delicious goodies. Wow, today is turning out to be an awesome day!

Another type of Christmas poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.


The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.


The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.


Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.


'What are you doing?' I asked without fear,
'Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!'
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.


To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said 'Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.'
'It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.


No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,'
Then he sighed, 'That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers.'
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.'

' So go back inside,' he said, 'harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right.'
'But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
'Give you money,' I asked, 'or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son.'

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
'Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.'
____________________________________________________________________________________

Yes, that is my brother and sister in a tiny pic at the top of the poem. I apologize for putting in email poems I've received lately but I thought they were both important. Even if you don't support the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, please remember to support your all-volunteer military. They work 7 days a week and it's like a dangerous Groundhog's Day for many of them.

I've had a difficult time this year coming up with ideas for what I'd like for Christmas. The other day I was able to Facebook chat with my brother when he was up very late and we talked about holiday gifts. I apologized that I didn't send very much to him this year and he said something which explained why Christmas feels different again this year.

He told me that what we all wanted was to be together for Christmas and that can't happen again this year so that is why it feels different. He's right. If I could choose any gifts it would be both my brother and sister home from Iraq.

Sometimes my brother is a real dork and other times, like this, he's a genius. I guess war really does make you grow up.

Tysabri hangover

Yesterday I went to visit my parents which is more of an ordeal than one might think. I have to make sure that I am properly rested and the weather is okay and the timing is right so I am not driving home in the dark and especially not the dark when it is snowing.

My parents' little town (30 minutes away) was having an Open House Holiday Weekend so I was going out to a few places with my mom. She wanted to purchase a poinsettia and I was going along to look at a few places. When I type a few, I truly mean a few, as in three places and I was done. By the third stop, which was a small and cluttered but beautiful flower shop, I was so hot that it was all I could do to move my giant body around trying not to whack anything and stay upright. I didn't dare try to hold anything because my back hurt so badly I was certain I would drop it and break it and therefore buy a broken item.

I also noticed that every time I went to get in or out of my mom's car, a low-rider type car compared to my PT Cruiser, that my foot could not clear the side of the car. Ever. I had to lift it up extra with my hand on my leg and make a real effort to try a second time to get my leg and foot in or out. I've never noticed that happening before.

I guess this means I am now in my Tysabri type hangover. I have been sleeping a lot, a good 12 hours at night plus a nap even with Provigil for a few days now. (I had my third Tysabri infusion on Wednesday.) I am also having back pain so I will start tracking this in my little calendar dohickie from Copaxone even though I haven't been on C for over a year.

My Christmas cards are basically mailed out. I have my presents primarily purchased but not wrapped. There is no way to put anything under the tree because my cat will attack and scratch it open and who wants a present that is ripped open?

So here I am with no booze but lots of chocolate and my Tysabri hangover period with my Aleve and a really comfy bed and some books to get me through this. Oh, it could be so much worse...

Holiday Mail for Heroes, an easy way to help others

Today's post will not be about me. I know, can you believe this narcissistic blogger can manage to turn her focus elsewhere? It does happen now and then.

I'll be copying and pasting some information here on an inexpensive and easy way to help others during this holiday season, something I'm going to be working on myself this afternoon. As most of you know, I have siblings in the military and most of you know that you can no longer send packages to any soldier like you used to be able to prior to 9/11. However, the Red Cross does offer a program that you and your family (a great project for kiddos to be involved in)can participate in where you can mail holiday cards to military personnel serving overseas, veterans, and military personnel here in the US. It's totally legit, Snopes it if you'd like.

Here's the web addy: http://www.redcross.org/email/saf/

Below will be more information about the Holiday Mail for Heroes program but please remember that cards MUST arrive by December 10th and cards do NOT need to be individually enclosed in envelopes so if you have messed up on some envelopes and have some extra holiday cards, or you can hit up the dollar store for some cards, or make some at home with the kiddos to donate to this project.

Here's the promised information about the Holiday Mail for Heroes program:

Holiday Mail for Heroes

Holiday Mail for Heroes is a partnership between the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes to deliver one million holiday cards to American service members, veterans and their families in the United States and around the world. Please send cards to this address, following the guidelines listed below:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456


Please follow these simple guidelines when sending your card to ensure it will quickly reach service members, veterans and their families.

•All cards must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Cards sent after this date will be returned to sender.

•If sending more than one card, please mail all cards together in ONE large shipping envelope. Cards sent in this manner do NOT need individual envelopes or postage.

•Please ensure that all cards are signed.

•Please use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.”

•Please do NOT include personal information, like email or home addresses.

•Please do NOT send letters.

•Please do NOT include inserts of any kind, including photos, GLITTER, confetti, gift cards or calling cards. Any items inserted into cards will be removed during the reviewing process.

•All cards received may be used in program publicity efforts, including appearing in broadcast, print or online mediums.

I'd love to know if anyone plans to participate out there. I have some photo cards of the cat I'm going to use up because everyone saw them last year. Thanks for helping and happy holiday season to you all.

Happy Thanksgiving

I love Charlie Brown and his holiday special so this was the perfect graphic for today's post. I wish you safe travels if you're going somewhere and I wish you great patience if many someones are coming to your house for the bird or tofurkey.

Today I had a wonderful reason to be grateful. Some of you know that both my only brother and only sister are stationed in Iraq as proud members of the US Army. Hooah! This is my sister's second Thanksgiving there and the shine of Iraq is wearing a little thin. Obviously, I haven't seen her except in a few pictures and not heard her voice in over a year.

Today I got to "hear" her a little bit as we were both on Facebook at the same time and we chatted through their Facebook chat option. Just seeing her words made me start to cry and I mean cry, with slobber, snot and the whole ugly look going on. We had a conversation for about a half hour about different things but it was like a piece of her was with me. I am so thankful for that conversation.

Not to mention that track three of Josh Groban's 2007 Noel album was playing then which just about metaphorically kills me every time I hear it. If you don't own his holiday album and you enjoy Christmas music I urge you to walk or drive (according to the speed limit) and purchase a copy. It's fabulous and his voice has really put me in the holiday mood, especially with the tree being up. I derive no royalties from this free plug for Josh but if you have this CD and you like it or you get it and like it, please let me know!

Secondly, I got to see pictures yesterday of both my brother and sister in Baghdad because she was able to visit him last weekend (some sort of regulation when you have siblings in a war zone, they get one weekend together). They took some nice pics together and I saw the pics on Facebook before my parents even saw the pictures. My parents are getting a CD of the pics in the mail and I'll show them the Facebook pics tomorrow on Thanksgiving. Yes, it will be the three of us which is always awkward because everyone is sad that my siblings aren't there. Plus, my siblings relieve some of the tension that exists between just the parents and me.

Today, right this moment, I am listening to this lovely music and I feel peaceful and loving and joyous. In this moment I have faith and hope and I wish that for you, my dear readers, as this special holiday approaches.

Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm a big girl now (thanks to BJM)

I wasn't going to write this particular post today because I am wiped out from the fact that my "super" lost my money order for my November rent. That presented itself as a new stressor in my life and sent me out in to the world to deal with it, which I did. How HE lost it, I have no idea but he is the "super" who's not so super. He likes to partake of the cheap beer on a daily special occasion called evening.

Sigh...

The exciting thing is that I have now entered the world of womanhood. It's not about getting your period, it's about learning how to clean your oven! I now know how to do it.

Who know the oven door came off like that? I swear I never saw my mom take the door off the oven in my whole life.

On Christmas Tree Thursday which brought forth a lovely 7 and a half foot tall Dakota Fir with 350 white lights, two sets of colored lights and an angel on top, my friend BJM also covered up my brand spanking new oven heating element and sprayed that bad boy oven down.

That's how I now know that the oven door can come off! I basically sat back and occasionally handed something to her or held something while she worked on the oven and then the tree. It was great. She did so much work that it would have taken me a week to get the same thing done.

So here's to BJM, oven cleaner and tree putter-together extraordinaire, Huzzah and happy holidays!

Random shiny moments

1.) I love plays on words like the sticker above. The flair buttons and bumper stickers are one of my favorite parts of Facebook. Remember, if you're a Facebooker and want to be pals send me a note and maybe you can be part of my Facebook entourage.

2.) A note on my tiredness and fatigue. My mom thinks that if I sleep a lot I will feel much better. Now that is true up to a point. Provigil and my ADs help me to feel better, along with the sleep. I go to bed around 9:30ish now (late for me!) and sleep until sometime between 8 and 8:30. Then I take another nap for an hour or two after I've been up for a while.

So you can see that I sleep a lot. My mom thinks that all of that sleep will make me feel rested and I should be good to go the next day. If you have MS or know an MSer with fatigue issues then you know that's not the case. I live each day as if it was from the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. I wake up and my body thinks it needs all the sleep it can get, no matter how much it got yesterday. I'm always tired.

3.) I've started watching Arrested Development on Netflix today in between my bouts of semi-coma like sleeping. I like it. It's sharp and witty and sarcasm at its comedic best. Sometimes not having good cable can be a blessing.

4.) Tomorrow is trying to put up the fake tree day. I hope we can survive it.

That's all I've got for shiny crow rambling moments. Believe it or not, I'm tired again.