Some Days Are Better Than Others

My wonderful husband who cares for me each and every day woke up this morning with a swollen and painful foot. He hobbled around and was able to get me up and going but I know that he needs to recuperate so I have had to hunt around for someone to fill in until he is better. God has been gracious in providing for my needs and I found an agency today that will send someone over this evening and then tomorrow to help me with my daily care. It was stressful wondering where I was going to find someone to fill in for my irreplaceable husband. On top of all of that stress my dentist called and said that I'm going to need to have one of my wisdom teeth extracted. Ouch! Please pray for me because I will be under a lot of stress the next couple of days dealing with strangers who are there to help me but really don't know what to do. It is good that I'm able to communicate and tell them how I need to be cared for and what they need to do for me. Nonetheless, I don't relax a whole lot because I'm constantly thinking of what is the next thing I need them to do. In spite of how I feel I know that God is with me and working on my behalf. I thank him for his goodness and his mercy. 2 Comments: At April 28, 2005 6:57 PM, Anonymous said... You might be able to find someone to fill in, but never replace me. If I never do anything else in my life, never become famous again, never invent anything, I will know that God sent me here just to be with you, love you, and every once in awhile help you move about. What a joy! At April 30, 2005 9:45 AM, cousin vony said... anonymous my swollen foot! that's as romantic as it gets for sure :)

Bloggers

La Shawn Barber, one of my favorite bloggers, has has kindly introduced my blog along with other newbies to the blog world like myself. I must say that one of my other favorite bloggers, Agent Tim, actually was the first to introduce me. There is another favorite blogger who has promised to announce me on her site as well. I really appreciate those who want to introduce my blog site to their site visitors. That is certainly one of the fun things about blogging. Blogging allows anyone from anywhere to have a forum for expressing their thoughts, ideas, dreams, and opinions. Others may or may not read them, but what you have to say is out there for anyone with Internet access to read. I think that's pretty cool. 1 Comments: At April 30, 2005 6:06 AM, CatsPaw007 said... That's wonderful! You're doing a great job! Keep up the wonderful work!Agent Tim

My Dentist Learns to Drive

Today I went to my dentist, Dr. Mark. The uncomfortable feeling I had in one of my molars turned out to be a crack in the tooth so Dr. Mark immediately went to work on fixing my problem. Usually when I visit my dentist Norm will transfer me from my wheelchair to the dental chair and I will have to endure the uncomfortableness of that chair in addition to all the commotion going on inside my mouth. Now I'm sure you know when you visit the dentist there are tiny little rooms they work in and there's just enough room for the dental chair, the dentist and the assistant and all the strange torture looking paraphernalia they use to work magic in your mouth. In Dr. Mark's office he has the largest dental rooms I've ever seen and that's one of the reasons why I go to him because it's a lot easier for me to move around his place than any other dental office I've ever visited. Dr. Mark decided it was not necessary for me to transfer to his dental chair, so I tilted my chair back to a 45° angle and he went to work in my mouth. After I got numb he decided that my chair needed to be maneuvered into a more comfortable place for him to work from so he could reach all of his equipment. When my chair is in the full tilt position I cannot reach the go stick to drive my chair, so I told Dr. Mark he would have to do the driving. "No problem," he said with the confidence of a man who controls equipment costing thousands and thousands of dollars and he proceeded to move the go stick (it's a joystick for those of you unfamiliar with the term). Little did he know it takes years and years to master the art of driving a power chair. He proceeded to bang my chair into his body and then into the dental chair. All I and Lisa, the dental assistant, could do is laugh! Finally he got the right touch of the go stick and we were in position. Later this evening when I was home recuperating Dr. Mark gave me a call, as he always does, to make sure I was doing all right. He is such a nice dentist even if he can't drive straight. :-) I have to go back again in a couple of days so he can do more work on my teeth. This time I'm going to do all the driving! 2 Comments: At April 26, 2005 11:17 PM, Anonymous said... If I were your husband....I would worry about job security and make sure you always needed to transfer... At April 28, 2005 1:07 PM, cousin Vony said... giggle!!

Why Am I Blogging?

For the fame and fortune of course! Really I am just trying to keep in touch with friends and family far away. I've always wondered if I could be a writer and maybe this will be away for me to explore writing in a nonthreatening way. I have three beautiful little nieces, Hannah, Mackenzie and Zoe who live in San Diego. Since I don't get to see them a lot I thought that blogging would be away that I could share my life with them and leave them a sample of my sometimes quirky brain. Journaling has never been something that I stuck with for more than about two weeks. Perhaps because of the ease of using the computer and Internet I will find that journaling becomes a great outlet. Another reason for blogging or online journaling is to share my life experiences as a person who has had to overcome many obstacles and difficulties. Perhaps someone could learn something from my shared experiences. Thanks for all of you who have commented on my blog by posting comments here or sending me an e-mail note. I appreciate your encouragement. Now I'm going to open the blog up to questions from my viewers. If you have a question that inquiring minds would like to know please post it on the comments section here and I will try to answer your questions in future entries on my blog. Also, please feel free to share my blog with friends and family or anyone you think might be interested. Thanks! 2 Comments: At April 26, 2005 2:11 PM, CatsPaw007 said... Maybe you'd like to re-print that interview that I did with you? That was really great! At April 30, 2005 9:49 AM, cousin vony said... yes yes, reprint that interview

Ducking

Sometimes Norm and I like to get away for awhile but not go anywhere far and not spend very much money. We discovered a park not far from us with a pond where ducks and geese like to gather and lay their eggs. So every once in awhile we spend our lunch hour "ducking." We go get something to eat at the drive-through and then we go to the park and park our car right in front of the pond. We don't even have to get out of the car to see the ducks and geese and we eat our meal and enjoy the wildlife right in front of us. It's a good time to clear our heads and just talk about things without being distracted by the work at our desks or the phone ringing, etc. A lot of times it's very romantic. 2 Comments: At April 25, 2005 10:41 PM, cousin vony said... my husband needs to see the light here! At April 26, 2005 6:38 AM, Anonymous said... Ducking sounds down right fun! Hello friends, I pray you both are doing well. God Bless, James J.

It's That Time of Year Again

We had some rain last night and it cooled off today so it was only 70 something instead of 90. Summer comes early here in Scottsdale but it is still spring time. Yesterday we saw a Canadian goose nesting her eggs in a flower pot at one of the local shopping centers. Silly goose! She was about a quarter of a mile from the pond. I hope the baby geese won't mind a long hike across the parking lot. They put up a barricade around her and an umbrella for some shade and someone brought her a bucket of water and some feed. Apparently it's against the law here to disturb a migrating bird's nest. After church today Norm and I went to a favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch. After we were seated at our table I looked at Norm's face and thought he had suddenly grown a mole on his chin but I couldn't see very well because there was a bright light coming from the window behind him. Then I realized it was a ladybug! Somehow she decided to hitch a ride on Norm into the restaurant. I told him he had a ladybug on his face and instead of reaching for the ladybug he instinctively put his head down and the ladybug fell into his collar and went down his shirt. That's when he realized he had a bug on him because he could feel her crawling on his chest. He had to unbutton his shirt in order to find her and told the waitress not to look at his bare chest. LOL It's been a great weekend except for the mosquito that just bit my finger which is now all swollen and very itchy. When it rains in the desert all kinds of bugs come out. :-) 1 Comments: At April 25, 2005 9:01 PM, Anonymous said... That is one bug ridden story!

The Truth Is out!

About 10 o'clock last night I got inspired to write something on my blog. Then I decided it was time to announce my blog to many of my friends and family who have Internet access. By the time I got to writing the e-mail it was nearly midnight. Normally I don't stay up this late but I was inspired so I kept working. Unfortunately, my brain doesn't work as well at that hour and when I sent out my e-mail invitations I neglected to mention the web site address for my blog. (Here's the part where we flashback to the V-8 commercial and hit ourselves on the head.) I hate looking like such a doofus but now you know that I'm not perfect. I know some of you are really surprised! 2 Comments: At April 23, 2005 8:23 AM, cousin vony said... I was wondering what you were doing up so late! At April 23, 2005 6:53 PM, CatsPaw007 said... LOL...great story!

What's with the Title: The View from My Chair

Having lived all of my life sitting down I have come to the conclusion that there are just certain things that I see differently than a lot of other people. For instance, when I look straight ahead and I'm talking to someone who is not sitting down, my eye level is right at their waist level. As you can imagine most of what I see are belt buckles, flys, and rear ends. On very rare occasions I have seen a whole lot more when someone forgets to close the barn door or they haven't cleaned their nose recently. Life can be very interesting sitting down. :-) My husband, Norm, is 6'4" tall and sitting in my wheelchair I am about 4'2" tall. Needless to say Norm and I see the world from totally different angles! We have discovered that I have an advantage from my view that has helped Norm find lost articles such as car keys, cell phone, wallet, etc. He searches the high places and I search the low places and eventually we find all kinds of things. 3 Comments: At April 23, 2005 8:27 AM, cousin vony said... giggle! At April 23, 2005 10:59 AM, Travis said... Welcome to the blogosphere!The Blogging Boy Scout,Travis At April 23, 2005 1:35 PM, PastorJack said... I guess perspective is everything!Looking forward to hearing much more.

Extreme Makeover

This evening while I flipped channels on TV I came across ABC's Extreme Makeover. I don't think I've ever watched an entire episode, but I've seen bits and pieces of an episode now and then when I channel surf during commercials. What little I have seen of this program has been various men and women who have received everything from a style makeover of their hair, makeup and wardrobe to plastic surgery that includes everything from head to toe. As I watched the show this evening I began to ponder this thought: what would it be like to receive an extreme makeover from God? We are so obsessed with our physical appearance but the Bible clearly tells us that God looks upon the heart of a person, he is not concerned with the outward appearance. (For example, see 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV.) As much as I would like to have a makeover for my body I know that it is not what would make the most difference in my life. A heart that is made over by God is what I desire. When I was about 9 years old I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. That was the beginning of the extreme makeover of my heart by the Holy Spirit. It is a process that will continue for the rest of my life in this world. A lot of work has been done over the years in my heart by the transformational power of the Holy Spirit but there's still much more to be done. Can you imagine what it would be like to see on TV a show called Extreme Makeover: God Edition? Now that would be a show worth watching! What's even more exciting is that one does not need to be selected for the show in order for the makeover to take place. Everything you need is right in the Bible. 2 Comments: At April 22, 2005 12:03 AM, Anonymous said... I think that God has been working on you already.....most of the human flaws are gone! At April 22, 2005 12:41 PM, Anonymous said... Great thoughts. Martin Luther said this:"This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal, but it is the right road. At present, everything does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is being cleansed."

Little Blessings

I had a beautiful surprise this morning waiting for me outside my window. There is a Bougainvillea bush almost completely surrounding the window of the room where Norm was helping me get myself ready for the day. A beautiful brown and yellow swallowtail butterfly came fluttering into view and proceeded to entertain us as he flickered and fluttered from one fuchsia flower to the next. Sometimes it is so important to take a few moments to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. Thank you God for this beautiful sight. 2 Comments: At April 21, 2005 1:28 PM, Norm - the Husband said... The bush outside the window pales in comparison with the beauty that I see in your face each day. At April 25, 2005 7:26 AM, Cindie - the old friend said... Karen, the bougainvillea reminds me of San Diego, do you miss it? I do.

Blogging

This is my first entry into the world of blogging. I have so much that I want to say but at the moment I seem to be speechless. More later... 2 Comments: At April 22, 2005 4:36 AM, CatsPaw007 said... I will be checking in as much as I possibly can! You've got a mention coming! God Bless, and can't wait to read what you have...Tim At April 23, 2005 7:02 PM, CatsPaw007 said... My (real) mention will come as soon as my new site is done...keep up the good work!