Things I love

Not in any particular order:

The view off my balcony
Daisies
February Song
The color green
The color brown
Lady bugs
Kevin
Bats flying at dusk
Lavender scented candles
Brigette's voice
Partridge Creek (not necessarily the stores)
The two frogs in the egress window at the model
Angela's voice
Thunderstorms
Oliver's ears
Chit chatting with God
Lance's smile while he is listening to Paul
Lance's smile while he is eating Root Beer ice cream
Emma and Lily's hair

To be continued...

Balance

A friend of my daughter met a man on the internet and got engaged after one month of corresponding. She said it was God leading her. When they met (her son with her) he sweet talked her and ended up sexually abusing her.

A family member of mine says it is God, everything is so positive and nothing they read in the word shows them otherwise. They got engaged after a couple months of dating. He has alienated his entire family and is not making wise decisions concerning his finances.

How can people manipulate the Word of God to get what they want? Or want something so bad that they can't see logic or use the Word of God and "positive" feelings to justify making very bad choices? Why would we say "God, my life is very uncomfortable and I don't like it, so I am going to do what I want and put your name on it"? Sometimes life is uncomfortable or down right nasty. Sometimes we are lonely or struggling financially or sick or depressed. God is there to help us through. He is there!

God, where is the balance in walking with you? Do we throw caution to the wind and just go with it or do we walk so tenderly around everything and not take any chances at all? What are the risks in running full steam ahead and not having you lead us or waiting and risk missing your timing? Do we allow you to love us during the hard times or "believe" that you will make it easier for us? The problem is there are times for both, how do we know Lord?

Please God, be my balance.

Bugs, Viruses and Rashes

I called Dell, they don't have warranties on computers over three years old. Called the "Geek Squad", they don't work on computers on-line over three years old...you have to have someone out to the house or take it in to have it serviced, but the warranty is only for 30 days. The virus is driving me crazy but the cost of having it taken care of is outrageous, so I trudge through and WALLAH, I am able post tonight. After consulting with Angela, we think it will be better to invest that money into a new computer...don't know when, but until then, I will have to fight the virus.

Lance came home from the work program Wednesday with a rash on his waist and hip. After his shower I gave him some Benadryl and sent him to bed. Thursday morning his chest and back were covered with scarlet colored welts. By that afternoon it was spreading to his arms and legs...in we go to see the doctor. The doctor was fascinated with it and told us it was very impressive and most definitely an allergic reaction to something, what it could be is any one's guess. He gave Lance two injections and a prescription for steroids and Clariton. Friday, Lance was scheduled to go to a respite home for the very first time, we had to send five different meds and hoped they will dose it correctly. We needed to fight this rash so he could have a good time.

In the mean time, I woke up with a stiff neck and an intestinal flu bug, I had to cancel physical therapy, take Lance to the doctor's, get everything together so I could pack for him and go see my Chiropractor. How do you fight a flu bug when you have so much to do?

Well, I am hoping for the best for the computer virus. Lance's rash is almost gone and he really enjoyed his weekend. We now know that there is a place for him to go if Kevin and I need to get away. I rested and recovered Saturday morning while Kevin was working and Lance was gone. By that evening we were able to go to Partridge Creek with Oliver, got a peanut butter and chocolate milkshake and listen to the band that was playing.

Things are never quite as bad as they seem. (Well almost never...I keep having to click off the antispyware pop-up balloon, grrrrrrr!!)

I'm sick with a virus!

I am so frustrated.  Right now I cannot access the blog from my computer.  I was just getting into this blogging thing when I got a virus! 

Please bear with me as I try to get up and running again.

Oliver

Angela and David have Tilly and Kally, two long haired teacup Chihuahuas. Brigette has Pippin an Olde English Pocket Beagle. Lance loves them to pieces.

In comes thought, discussions, prayer, more talking and then the decision...yes, lets get Lance a puppy. I want a long haired teacup chihuahua but realize that it may be too fragile for Lance. Okay, lets go with an Olde English Pocket Beagle. We e-mailed the breeder and sent in a deposit with this request...calm temperament, female, small and brown and black, a lot like Pippin only calmer and we will name her Olive. April 14, the puppies are born, two females, three males. Kate, the breeder, names her female Olive not knowing we were going to name her that. Must be providence, only she isn't brown and black, she isn't the smallest and she isn't the calmest. Now what do we do? Kate tells me she has a male that is much calmer than the rest of the litter and he is the smallest of the gang. I am concerned because we have never had a male dog and I have heard horror stories about the aggression, the marking, the humping... She assures me that if you neuter the dog before eight months he will not do these things. She sent pictures and we were smitten, all right, he is Oliver and he is ours. Two weeks after my knee surgery we head to Ohio to pick him up. While there he is still tying to nurse. He sleeps in my lap the whole way home. He is so tiny, so sweet and so calm for two weeks then he turns into Cujo!!! Yes, our adorable little peanut begins to hump the toys and my leg...I scream because he is only ten weeks old! He growls and bites if you get too close to his food and don't you dare take away a chew toy. If we are holding him and he wants down, well lets just say it isn't pretty.

So today I pay an outrageous price to a dog behaviorist and she assures me everything will be okay. He is just asserting his dominance and with constant training and supervision for a few months he will be the sweetest dog ever. So here it goes...no talking on the phone, no blogging until Kevin is with him, no leaving him by himself. He has to have a leash on constantly and be taken outside every 30 minutes unless he hasn't gone, then it is every 15 minutes...

We just wanted a calm, female, small and brown and black puppy!

CTA

Why is it when you have to get up extra early, you end up not falling asleep until a half hour before the alarm goes off?!? I had to get up at 4:45 a.m. to take Lance to the hospital for a CTA scan. Because of his disabilities he needs to be anesthetized so he doesn't move. That means that we have to be at the hospital at 6:00 a.m. for a 7:30 a.m. test. His grandmother was so sweet to come and keep us company, we needed to pick her up at 5:45 a.m. The good thing about all of this is we were home by 9:00 and have the rest of the day to get some things done...such as a nap! I am hoping Lance will sleep a little because I won't be able to unless he does. The type of meds they used will be with him most of the day and that means that he will be even wobblier than normal.

Lance has a recently discovered brainstem compression and the doctors at the Cleveland Clinic (where we are getting a second opinion) wanted him to have further imaging done. His neurosurgeon has recommended surgery to repair it, but it is very risky and we are reluctant to subject him to this unless absolutely nescessary. So hence, the second opinion. I will talk more about our son's disabilities and the brainstem condition in a later post.

He is our joy and we are so blessed to have him.

Here I am...

Okay, here I am once again, trying to blog.


I have a lot to say...I have very little to say. Sometimes I just want to be a voice out there and other times I just want to hide away in my own little world and not let anyone know I am here. Today is a day I want to be a voice.

My name is Gina. I am a wife, a mother and a child of God. At times I have some very opinionated ideas and other times I don't want to ruffle any feathers at all. I am hoping this is the place to do both.

I love, love, love to cook and I will post some recipes.

I have an adult son who is disabled and want to share the joy and sorrows of raising him.

I also have two grown daughters who are wonderful, but live far, far away. I want the world to know about them.

I have many problems and also many victories (how ever small they may be).

I just want to write down my thoughts.

so here I am...