Journey Of Life

Sharing Pics Of My Great-Nephew Xan

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:43:54 GMT

With my brother, Jeffrey. Four days old.

Taking a bath. He didn't like it at all. LOL

Always sleeping. He's still swollen from when he was born afer losing so much blood and fluids. What a cute face!

Again...always sleeping. 11 days old with Nana Pat. Swelling and paleness is gone and he has color.

Awwww.......

I'm A Great-Aunt Again!

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:52:37 GMT

I became a great-aunt again on Saturday, July 12, 2008.

Here's my niece, Shawna on June 28, 2008. She was due July 31, 2008.

On Saturday morning, Shawna woke up with blood in her urine. David took her to the ER after calling her OB. She was becoming toxicemic and the placenta was coming apart so the baby was bleeding to death. Shawna never did feel any contractions though her OB said she was having them. They went ahead and did a C-section. If she wouldn't have gone to the ER when she did, Xan would have died. We are so thankful he is here! Shawna had so much trouble getting pregnant.

Introducing...............

Xan Michael S.

Weight: 8 lbs. 4 oz. 20 inches long.

He had alot of fluid in his lungs so he was put on oxygen until yesterday morning. Shawna couldn't even hold him until last night. They are keeping him one more night to watch him.

After being born.

David after video-taping the C-section. He said there was so much blood, he thought he was going to pass out but he made it through!

Shawna's first look at him after he was born. My sister, Sharon is on the right.

Shawna yesterday. They discharged her home today but she didn't go home. She's staying at the hospital with Xan.

Nana holding her 4th grandchild........all boys! What is it with boys in our family???

David's mom, Pat with Morgan, Shawna's step-daughter.

Morgan & Riley, David's kids from his 1st marriage.

Mommy & Xan. They share the same birthday.

I Need Help

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:14:18 GMT

EDIT: Thanks to Lori, a commenter at Magic Smoke after asking for help there, this was her advice which I tried. After trying all of it, I uninstalled and reinstalled AOL and now I can send mail. In case anyone else has this problem. I've heard complaints from other members for 3 weeks now about this but I never had a problem with it until today.

"If you haven't already tried this, click on this link:

http://challenge.aol.com/spam.html and you should be able to see the challenge. You can also try logging onto AOL from a different browser, like Firefox or Internet Explorer. Type in www.aol.com and then go to your email from there. Or you may have to uninstall AOL and reinstall it. I hope that one of these works for you."

I need help and I can't find it anywhere. I have gone to AOL HELP, message boards, etc. and cannot find an answer. I'm on free AOL. I went to send an email today and a box popped up saying AOL Email Challenge....Please click on the URL below, complete the image puzzle, and then resend your message. The problem is THERE IS NO IMAGE OR URL. Can someone help? Thanks.

Tags: AOL Hell, Email Challenge, Blogplugs, How To Fix The Problem

I Must've Been Out Of My Mind

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:15:33 GMT

The subject line is exactly how I feel after having my knee surgery yesterday. Of course, my Dad tells me I don't mean it. Maybe not in a few days but I mean it NOW.

We get there at 6:45 a.m. and they didn't take me to the OR until 10:30. At 9:30, I was ready to just leave and say forgettaboutit. At 10:00, they took me back to the holding area to start my IV and ask a million questions.

Doc went in there and and it was worse than the last time. It was a mess in there. And he wanted to do more conservative treatment like giving me shots. After going in there, he said nothing would have helped. I'm not going to bother scanning the pics. I'm in too much pain. If you looked at the pics from last time, that was nothing compared to this time. The white fluff is all arthritis. This time it was totally covered......double the fluff. He repaired the meniscus tear which was about 2 inches long. From the pics, it looks like he uses laser but I'm not sure. He said I will have to have a replacement in a few years. He took out the displaced fragment that was floating in there.

We got home at 2:30, ate some lunch and went to sleep. I woke up every 2 hours last night. Den woke up at 5 am and I couldn't go back to sleep. Thank goodness we have a bath chair. I feel so much better after taking a bath. I start physical therapy Monday. I have to wear shorts to go anywhere. I hate doing that unless I'm tanned. I have no pants that will fit because my leg is too swollen. Den & I both have an eye exam this afternoon. I wasn't going to cancel the appointment. I made it 3 mos ago.

We need to go grocery shopping which I'm sure Den will want to after our appointments but I'm goingto insist he bring me home. I can't handle going shopping today.

I have to go. I have to put some ice on.

Tags: Knee surgery, Arthritis, Meniscus Tear, Pain

Three Videos

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:07:59 GMT

I have been trying to upload vids to YouTube and I'm never successful. Finally, this morning, I got them to upload. I'm still uploading.

These two vids started our fireworks. Karen Walker is the singer. This one is called In God We Still Trust. Good song and very appropriate.

As she is singing this one, the stage moves to the right. Singing The Star Spangled Banner. Enjoy!

End of the fireworks and Sweet Young'uns starting another set singing Pretty Woman. You can see the stage moving back to the left here. I have no idea what was wrong with my voice but I could hardly talk! I didn't get the finale because I had hit pause!

Tags: Fireworks, Lake Martin, Independence Day, Karen Walker, Sweet Young'uns

Our 4th Of July - Part 2

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:36:44 GMT

As the Bluegrass Biscuits were playing, it was getting very dark and there was a lightning storm going on behind the stage. One bolt did hit the water. I've never seen that happen. Every time I would put the video cam down, a great lightning show would happen!

The skies behind us were okay but then they also became dark. Robert and the sheriff's dept. were monitoring the storm on radar. Around 7:15, it started getting very windy. Ben Russell who came in on the helicopter left. A few people got up and left. At 7:45, the sheriff deputies were going around telling everyone to go to their cars for a few minutes. Of course, they told you if you stayed and something happened to you, they weren't responsible. I told the deputy "If I'm dead, I won't be holding you responsible." A few people stayed in their seats. Most got up and went to their cars. About half of them who did left the show. The fireworks were scheduled to start at 9:00.

Den & I packed up our things and I went to the left of the stage to

the deputy who called for a shuttle. He was worried because I have aluminum crutches! They were advising people to go to their cars because someone at Wind Creek (a state park/camping area) were struck by lightning doing something to their tent. I found out the next day they were okay.

I waited for 15 minutes. No shuttle. People who had gone to their cars had left their parking spaces and move up closer parking anywhere and everywhere which blocked the shuttle from getting through. Because of this, many people were warned after calling out their type of car and license plate number, they had 5 minutes to move their vehicle or they would be towed. So the deputy asks Den if he just wants to go get the car and come and get me. I waited another 15 minutes. People were parked crazy and it took him forever to get through. Den finally gets through and we go driving back close to where we were parked but instead we got to park on the end. So we're waiting and waiting. People are walking back to the concert area at 8:45. I asked some of them if their had been an announcement to go back. They said no but they heard the main band playing so they were heading back.

Vimeo doesn't support AOL journals so I have to leave links. This is the Sweet Young'uns performing It's 5 O' Clock Somewhere.

http://www.vimeo.com/1333461

Sweet Young'uns - Giving It Up Your Love

http://www.vimeo.com/1334324

Here's another song Muse sang that I liked called Shame On The Moon.

http://www.vimeo.com/1331699

This stupid font goes from big to little.

Instead of waiting for a shuttle, I walked the long way around on fairly level ground stopping in the restroom on the way. I'd have to take off the stabilizer, go in, come out and sit on the step to put it back on. It was a pain. So what song does the band play???? Sweet Home Alabama....my fave and I didn't get it on tape! When any group plays that song down here, people go crazy like Elvis has walked in the building. But that's alright. They'll be playing at the Aquapoolza concert July 26th on the lake by Kowalgia. Though I am having my knee surgery on July 17th, I WILL make it there. What can I say? I'm a concert whore. LOL Back in the summer of 2003, I attended 20 concerts. That was 2-4 a week. Then we have a concert on August 9th at the amphitheatre....a tribute to the Rolling Stones & Beatles. And our last summer concert for Labor Day is August 31st. We have the band, Hogg Mountain Lugg Nuts (LOL....never seen them but they play rock and roll) opening for Sister Hazel whom we have seen perform a couple times.

We go and get seated again. There was still a little lightning but not as much. We did not get a drop of rain. It would have been awesome watching the lightning show and fireworks together! I told Den we should have just stayed where we were instead of going to the car. It was a pain in the butt. The fireworks show was delayed until 9:30. As I've written every year (this is for my new readers), the stage is on railroad tracks. When the fireworks start, the stage is moved over to the right. If you look at the 6th pic of the lake in my last entry, you can see the railroad tracks.

After the fireworks, the band starts playing as the stage is moving back to the left. I took many vids and some pics of the fireworks but I'll only share a couple in my other journal, My Photo Lounge in the next couple days. In one of the vids, they had to stop the show because there was a brush fire they had to put out. In another, a baby a couple rows behind us cried and cried because of the noise. We didn't take pics of each other. My hair was a rat's nest after sitting in the heat for 2 hours and then the wind just made it worse. LOL

When the concert ended as we were getting our things together, the sheriff deputies took off so I had to walk back to the car the long way. As we walked past the ticket booth, the shuttles were parked and one of the deputies who put me on the shuttle when we first arrived told me to get a shuttle. We told him we don't need it now. We were almost to our car. Because of the stabilizer, I had to sit in the back seat propped up with 3 pillows. Even though so many people left when it became windy and dark, we were still in a traffic jam leaving. Once we got out of the parking lot, I was out! Talk about tired! Den said he was talking to me and I didn't reply and when he looked back, I was out of it. I didn't wake up until we were almost home which is a 15 mile drive. We got home, took showers which kind of woke me up so I figured I would lie in bed and read. I was out in 5 minutes. LOL

All in all, though I was annoyed about going to the car, we had a great time.

Tags: Independence Day, Lake Martin, Concert, Fireworks, Lightning, Muse, Sweet Young'uns, Crazy People

Our July 4th - Part 1

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:19:01 GMT

Of course, we went down to the lake to the amphitheatre for a concert/fireworks show like we do every year. It's the one event we don't miss. We had made prior arrangements with Robert, the site manager about shuttle service to get me around to level ground. I could not walk up a hill or walk down it. Most of the terrain there is hilly.

We had a forecast for thunderstorms for 30% which we usually don't get anything. We arrived at 4:30 and the concert started at 5:30 with 2 bands opening for the main band.

The first band was Muse. I wish I could have gotten closer pics.

There is a dance floor in front of the stage.

Here is one of 6 videos I taped of Muse singing Until I Fall Away.

http://www.vimeo.com/1331381

The next band was the Bluegrass Biscuits who played more than they sang.

The kids really loved the banjo, mandolin, and fiddle.

I love the lake!

This group next to us put up flags all around their little square.

The skies are getting dark. Caught a pic of this guy who got a little too low to the crowd. I'm sure he received a citation/ticket.

We have a cool lightning storm going on in the back of the stage that I was trying to capture while the Bluegrass Biscuits were playing.

This is Ben Russell's helicopter....the richest man whose family owned this town for over 100 years. He always comes to the fireworks by helicopter and lands on the left side of the stage. I asked Den to go take a pic but he wouldn't do it.

The skies are getting more darker.

I hate to do this to you guys but part 2 will have to wait until tomorrow.

Tags: Independence Day, Concert, Lake Martin, AL, Muse, Bluegrass Biscuits

I Thought I Could Get Away With It

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:06:12 GMT

After three P.T. appointments, I went in for my fourth time last Monday in so much pain, I couldn't even do any P.T. My therapist, Robin had gotten a copy of my MRI faxed to her from the MRI place. She called my Doc to see if he would see me before the 16th because I'm unable to tolerate P.T. I see him tomorrow.

Her opinion was I will have to have surgery. I had seen my regular Doc for maintainance blood work for my Dilantin and had taken a copy of my MRI for her records. She also said I will need surgery. My ortho was just trying out P.T. first. Since I can't tolerate it, I'm going to need surgery. My MRI was much worse than my last one. So this surgery will be more extensive. It will be scheduled when I see him tomorrow.

as Lisa would say.

I went to Sam's Club this morning for our monthly buys. That was a BIG mistake. Not only is my knee in pain, so is my back and neck.

Oh well............I have to have it. Then I say get it done so I can get back on my feet ASAP. I have 3 more concerts to go to this summer.

We went to our annual July 4th fireworks concert on the lake. I transferred vids and pics yesterday. Today, I am uploading them. When I'm done, I'll share them. You wouldn't believe the night we had!

Interview

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:51:53 GMT

I got this from our talented J-Land singer Stevie.

1. What was the highlight of your day? Watching and transferring the videos from the July 4th concert and fireworks. I'm almost done and will share in my next entry.

2. How many meals do you usually eat a day? It varies. Either 2 meals or less or 5 small meals.

3. What's your favorite movie? I have so many! Planes, Trains, & Automobiles. I love Steve Martin & John Candy. I could watch that over and over and I always tear up at the end.

4. Have you ever thought George Clooney was hot? Yep...back in his ER days.

5. Have you ever doubted your sexual orientation? Nope

6. How long has it been since you have seen an ex? 25 yrs.

7. Name 5 of your best friends: Kris, Tammy, Jen, Mike, Linda

8. Would you ever consider moving to Zimbabwe? No way!

9. What would you do if someone dyed your pubic hairs bright pink permanently? It ain't happening to me! LOL I'm too light of a sleeper and I don't get drunk so no one would get away with it.

10. Would you dye your hair pink (the hair on your head)? Not at my age!

11. When was the last time you had Starbucks? Never. I don't like any kind of coffee so I don't go there.

12. Are you single? Nope.

13. What is your opinion on global warming? It's scary stuff and we need to work together to save our planet. <<<<Agree with Stevie here.

14. What about abortion? I'm pro-life when it comes to abortion.

15. Which would you rather star in? High school musical or Striptease? High school musical.

16. What's the worse movie you've ever seen? Evil Dead! Sickening!

17. How many times do you sneeze a day? I only sneeze when allergies bother me.

18. Are you an "adult"? Yes.

19. Where do you live? In the heart of Dixie - Alabama.

20. Have you ever thought Michael Jackson was going to kidnap you? No.....but who thought up this question?

21. What color hair do you have? Any color I want but my natural color is brown.

22. Would you rather have a hybrid vehicle or a Hummer? I would love a Hummer but it gets lousy gas mileage so with the gas prices these days, I'd take a hybrid.

23. Who is prettier: Angelina Jolie or Kate Bosworth? Angelina Jolie.

24. What do you think about the tabloids? They're vicious and all about the money to print lies.

25. Have you ever been to Texas? Yes.

26. Would you want to go? It's okay to visit but I wouldn't want to live there!

27. Do you wear a watch? No.

28. Have you ever had the sensation that you were falling while asleep? Yep.

29. Would you rather work at Goodwill or McDonalds? Goodwill. I can't stand McDonalds.

30. What do you think about Britney Spears' 16 year old sis getting pregnant? I think the situation is magnified just because of who she is. <<<<<<<Agree with Stevie. And who cares? Everyday 16 year olds are getting pregnant!

31. Do you recycle? I recycle cans.

Ok....I hope some of you will take up the challenge. Copy and paste and answer the questions. Leave me your link so I can check out your answers.

MRI Results & Pics

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:44:47 GMT

I went to the dr. and got my MRI results yesterday from my knee injury. I have a fracture and torn cartilage of the knee. The Baker's cyst I had removed from the back of my knee last July is also back. He told me last year that most of the time, these types of cysts will come back within 2 years. He thinks I can avoid surgery for now. I just have to stay in this torturelizer cast for another 5-6 weeks and he is sending me to physical therapy 3x a week. Sometimes the cartilage will not totally heal and if it still gives me a problem in a few mos., then we will talk about possible surgical repair. I really did not want to go thru surgery again so I'm happy with the treatment plan. I'm very thankful. It could have been worse.

Last Saturday, we went to a church picnic. All I could do was sit with my leg elevated and take pics and vids. I didn't get many pics. There is only so much you can get without turning or walking around.

This is Pastor Donald & I. This was the 1st time in 5 yrs. I've known him I've ever seen him not wearing a suit. I think the overalls look good on him. :)

Now I've moved over to the field watching the kids play and the adults playing horseshoes.

The guy who lives in the house is in his sixties. He is very bitter with anyone who goes to our church. Several years ago before Pastor Donald became pastor, this guy was a deacon and caused alot of trouble. He wanted total control of the church. He left the church over it. He built his house next to it just so he could watch it. ::::rolling eyes:::: My Dad went to the church early to help set up tables, chairs, and the spacewalks for the kids. After they set it up, my Dad and another guy caught the guy letting the air out of them then running across the field back to his house like a kid. Pastor Donald and another guy walked over there to talk to him. He wasn't going to come out hiding like a kid until Pastor Donald told him he could talk to him or the cops. We have a few cops in our church. The guy came out saying it was 6 inches over on his property which it wasn't but Pastor Donald told him they would move it over 6 inches and if he caused any more trouble, the cops would deal with him. Can you believe it??? Becca and Alex (14 & 9 yrs. old) told Pastor Donald if he did it again, let them deal with him. They'll tear him up. LOL

Fran called a couple days ago to let us know that they wouldn't be able to come down for Thanksgiving. They came down in April for our Dad's surprise birthday party. In March, they are going to Vegas. Stan made it in the top 4 people for a bowling tournament for a chance to possibly go pro. Then in May, they are coming here for Jay's graduation. I'm trying to talk my Dad into going up there. I'd like us to go up for his 1st birthday in August. If we don't, Dean-o will be 21 mos. old the next time we see him when Jay graduates. It would be over a year that we wouldn't see him. I'm bummed about that.

Every year, we go to the July 4th concert and fireworks on the lake. The terrain is mostly steep hills that I would not be able to walk. Den kept saying I wouldn't be able to go. I kept telling him I would be going. Ha! I know the site manager at the amphitheatre. I contacted him and he has arranged special parking for us and has someone who will pick us up in a golf cart from my car to haul our chairs, cooler, etc to a place to sit in front of the stage. Don't ever tell me I can't do something. LOL

I'm tired so I'm heading to bed. I'm trying to make rounds to journals. I'll get around as soon as I can.

Tags: Knee injury, Torn cartilage, Fracture, Picnic, BBQ, Blogplugs