On Monday July 27th I woke up at 2:00 am with really bad stomach pains that radiated around to my back. I slept in and out until 5:30am, then got up and took my morning dose of pain medication that I take for my arthritis which I can't take on an empty stomach so I have a cup of yogurt too. At about 6:30 am I begin to feel nauseated which led to what you usually associate with that. After that, the pain continued so I finally called my son and had him come and take me to the ER. I thought I knew what it was from but I have never gotten the back ache before. They did an EKG and that came out a bit abnormal. So that led a whole bunch of other tests, including a heart stress test and an echo. The echo showed a blockage of some sort in one of the frontal arteries. So a cardiac catherization was suggested. At first I said no, but then I spoke to my regular doctor and he convinced me to do it. I was transported to another bigger, hospital in Green Bay because the hospital I was in doesn't do that procedure. After the procedure I felt fine, no pain or very little anyway. During the night and early morning, the nurse would come in and check it every hour or so. At 6:15 am there was noise outside my room window that woke me up. I turned over and the small incision, which it isn't really, just a small hole, started to hurt. About 1 minute later, the nurse, Josh, came in to check on me. I told me I felt fine up until the time I turned and asked if he could check it. He looked and said "I told you to let me know if you felt blood." I said " I didn't feel it. I didn't feel anything until just a minute ago." He said "I'll be right back." Ran out of the room, came back another nurse who was carrying a bunch of wash cloths and Josh had a package in his hand. While Josh put pressure on the sight, the other nurse started to clean me up. Almost down to my knees and half way up my stomach. They needed to change the sheets and my gown. He then put on a pressure bandage which caused extruciating pain. That stayed on about 3 hours. By the time the day time nurse took it off I was in tears. She got me up about an hour later in the chair. I ate lunch and my son came in to get me about 12:30. I was afraid to go home but he said he'd stay for a few days. If Josh had not come in, I probably wouldn't have said anything, I was expecting pain at sooner or later so I would have thought it was normal. The bleeding had stopped on it's own by the time he had come in, it looked worse then it really was.
After all this, all I need to do is take a couple of pills. A "statin": generic form of Plavix and a baby aspirin. There are no diet changes needed.
I was in the hospital in Green Bay from Tuesday the 28th until the afternoon of Thursday the 30th.
I feel ok now. I tire easily but that will pass. There is very little pain.
I had a actual running water shower last night. It felt sooooo goooood.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
News
Saturday, May 23. 2009
It's been a while since my last entry, so I thought today would be a good day.
A week ago, last Saturday, May 16th, 2009, my baby girl, Erika, graduated from Ripon College, with honors! "Cum Laude", (which requires a Cumulative GPA of 3.40 or higher), "Alpha Psi Omega"(Honor Society in Theater) & "The Laurel" (Senior Honor Society). She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in History and a Minor in Theater. She is the only one on my side of the family to graduate from college. Needless to say, I am extremely proud.
There were 194 graduates altogether. The ceremony was held outside and the weather that day was windy (20 - 30 mph) and cold (52 degrees). It really should have been held indoors, but I guess since the sun was shining they thought it would be alright. After an hour and a half of sitting, we were all partially frozen, except for the people smart enough to have thought to bring their winter jackets. May in Ripon is usually about 70 degrees or so..At first it wasn't to bad. Like I said the sun was shining, and we were surrounded by buildings so we thought maybe we would be a little protected but it seemed like the buildings only acted like a funnel for the wind and helped it to come in and down. There were nine of us that went, myself, 2 friends of mine, (Karla and her husband Mike), the next door neighbors (Bob and Betty), Erika's boyfriend, (Bryan) and his parents, (Patrick and Marcia.) After the ceremony, we met up with Erika because she had some stuff to come home that she couldn't fit into her car, then we proceeded to go to Fond Du Lac, a near by city, and ate at a restaurant that Patrick suggested, called "Theo's Chop House." The food was delicious. The restaurant was very nice and warm. (Literally and decoratively.) We all had a good time. Mike found out that he knew Bob's son in school. Bob (who is in his late 70's I think), used to be a school teacher and Patrick used to be Assistant Principal at the high school in Manitowoc, so they knew each other. Karla is my friend and Massage Therapist. We've known each other about 9 or 10 years now. She has been a big part of mine and Erika's life for a long time.
Erika came home on the 19th of May, brought some stuff home and packed some stuff to take back. She is going to live in Madison with Bryan and another room mate. She and Bryan have been friends for about 5 years. They were in high school together where they were in theater class together, but they didn't become a couple until about 3 years ago. I don't know him that well but, he seems like a very nice young man that comes from a good family. His parents are really nice and they adore Erika and she loves them too. She's even been to their family reunions a couple of times. He is a bit shy around me and says he feels intimidated by me, but I know that once he gets to know me, that will change.
It's hard to believe that the past four years have gone by so quickly. Seth and Amanda...cherish that little guy...kids grow up way to fast.
Everything else is the same as my last entry. I feel a bit better now that spring is making a fleeting appearance. Warm, cold,warm,cold. The winter seemed longer this year because it got cold and started snowing in November, earlier then usual. I always get a little depressed in the winter. The dog loves to play outside so that requires me to wear four long pairs of pants, four long sleeved shirts and a double layer jacket with a hood and four pairs of gloves. They get wet and I have to keep putting on dry ones. When I am out of gloves, it's time to go in. They usually last about 30 minutes or so, depending on how wet the snow is and how much spit there is from her mouth on the frisbee. I can't wear boots because the arthritis in my feet has rearranged the small bones causing a high bump on the top of my feet so the boots don't fit over the bump but my shoes are actually fairly warm. Plus I have a small paint pail that I fill with water so she can drink while we're out side. By the time March comes I'm pretty tired of putting on and taking off all the clothes. There are some days that it's just way to cold to be out. I don't go out if it's below 12 degrees with no wind or if there is a wind chill of less then 18.
I can't think of anything else to write about. Take care until next time. BYE
It's been a while since my last entry, so I thought today would be a good day.
A week ago, last Saturday, May 16th, 2009, my baby girl, Erika, graduated from Ripon College, with honors! "Cum Laude", (which requires a Cumulative GPA of 3.40 or higher), "Alpha Psi Omega"(Honor Society in Theater) & "The Laurel" (Senior Honor Society). She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in History and a Minor in Theater. She is the only one on my side of the family to graduate from college. Needless to say, I am extremely proud.
There were 194 graduates altogether. The ceremony was held outside and the weather that day was windy (20 - 30 mph) and cold (52 degrees). It really should have been held indoors, but I guess since the sun was shining they thought it would be alright. After an hour and a half of sitting, we were all partially frozen, except for the people smart enough to have thought to bring their winter jackets. May in Ripon is usually about 70 degrees or so..At first it wasn't to bad. Like I said the sun was shining, and we were surrounded by buildings so we thought maybe we would be a little protected but it seemed like the buildings only acted like a funnel for the wind and helped it to come in and down. There were nine of us that went, myself, 2 friends of mine, (Karla and her husband Mike), the next door neighbors (Bob and Betty), Erika's boyfriend, (Bryan) and his parents, (Patrick and Marcia.) After the ceremony, we met up with Erika because she had some stuff to come home that she couldn't fit into her car, then we proceeded to go to Fond Du Lac, a near by city, and ate at a restaurant that Patrick suggested, called "Theo's Chop House." The food was delicious. The restaurant was very nice and warm. (Literally and decoratively.) We all had a good time. Mike found out that he knew Bob's son in school. Bob (who is in his late 70's I think), used to be a school teacher and Patrick used to be Assistant Principal at the high school in Manitowoc, so they knew each other. Karla is my friend and Massage Therapist. We've known each other about 9 or 10 years now. She has been a big part of mine and Erika's life for a long time.
Erika came home on the 19th of May, brought some stuff home and packed some stuff to take back. She is going to live in Madison with Bryan and another room mate. She and Bryan have been friends for about 5 years. They were in high school together where they were in theater class together, but they didn't become a couple until about 3 years ago. I don't know him that well but, he seems like a very nice young man that comes from a good family. His parents are really nice and they adore Erika and she loves them too. She's even been to their family reunions a couple of times. He is a bit shy around me and says he feels intimidated by me, but I know that once he gets to know me, that will change.
It's hard to believe that the past four years have gone by so quickly. Seth and Amanda...cherish that little guy...kids grow up way to fast.
Everything else is the same as my last entry. I feel a bit better now that spring is making a fleeting appearance. Warm, cold,warm,cold. The winter seemed longer this year because it got cold and started snowing in November, earlier then usual. I always get a little depressed in the winter. The dog loves to play outside so that requires me to wear four long pairs of pants, four long sleeved shirts and a double layer jacket with a hood and four pairs of gloves. They get wet and I have to keep putting on dry ones. When I am out of gloves, it's time to go in. They usually last about 30 minutes or so, depending on how wet the snow is and how much spit there is from her mouth on the frisbee. I can't wear boots because the arthritis in my feet has rearranged the small bones causing a high bump on the top of my feet so the boots don't fit over the bump but my shoes are actually fairly warm. Plus I have a small paint pail that I fill with water so she can drink while we're out side. By the time March comes I'm pretty tired of putting on and taking off all the clothes. There are some days that it's just way to cold to be out. I don't go out if it's below 12 degrees with no wind or if there is a wind chill of less then 18.
I can't think of anything else to write about. Take care until next time. BYE
Catch up time....
It's been a while since my last update. so I thought I'd do it today. The weather is humid and rainy off and on, and the dogs frisbee is in the tree.
Last Saturday May 16th, 2009 My baby girl, Erika graduated from college,
Cum Laude,(requires a cumulative GPA of 3.40 or higher), Alpha Psi Omega (honor society in Theater), & The Laurel (Senior Honor Society). We just got her final report card yesterday, For the last semester. she got another 3.48 GPA for the semester. Cumulative GPA was 3.71. 3 A's, a B, an Two, AU's which I think is Audit or something, and a P for acting Lab.
I received a letter from the school congratualting her on making the Dean's List. And there is going to be an announcement in the home town paper about graduation. There is an article called "Student News", or something like that and they report news on college students. Whether they graduate naking the Dean's List or whatever. She's been in the paper all four years. There has been only twice when she didn't make the Deans List. When she was in Jr High and High School, there was only twice when she didn't make honor roll.
She is living in a city about a few hours from home. And she found a summer job with the same place as last summer. A place she likes and that's always important.
In case you can't tell...I am so very proud!!
Last Saturday May 16th, 2009 My baby girl, Erika graduated from college,
Cum Laude,(requires a cumulative GPA of 3.40 or higher), Alpha Psi Omega (honor society in Theater), & The Laurel (Senior Honor Society). We just got her final report card yesterday, For the last semester. she got another 3.48 GPA for the semester. Cumulative GPA was 3.71. 3 A's, a B, an Two, AU's which I think is Audit or something, and a P for acting Lab.
I received a letter from the school congratualting her on making the Dean's List. And there is going to be an announcement in the home town paper about graduation. There is an article called "Student News", or something like that and they report news on college students. Whether they graduate naking the Dean's List or whatever. She's been in the paper all four years. There has been only twice when she didn't make the Deans List. When she was in Jr High and High School, there was only twice when she didn't make honor roll.
She is living in a city about a few hours from home. And she found a summer job with the same place as last summer. A place she likes and that's always important.
In case you can't tell...I am so very proud!!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Movies I watch over and over...
Movies I watch over and over...well not day after day but you know.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Kevin Spacey, Jude Law)
All That Heaven Allows (Rock Hudson) (an oldie but a goody..the movie not Rock)
Waking Ned Devine (David Kelly)
Dr Zhivago (Omar Sharif, Julie Christie)
The Great Escape (Steve McQueen)
Play Misty for Me (Clint Eastwood)
Brubaker ( Robert Redford)
Barefoot in the Park (Robert Redford, Jane Fonda)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford, Paul Newman)
The Hot Rock (Robert Redford)
The Last Castle (Robert Redford, James Gandolfini)
The Electric Horseman ( Robert Redford..again..sensing a pattern here?)
Funny Farm (Chevy Chase)
Coneheads ( Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtain)
Double Indemity (Fred McMurray, Barbra Stanwyck)
About A Boy (Hugh Grant)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (Hugh Grant)
Miracle (Kurt Russel)
Backdraft (Kurt Russel, Billy Baldwin, Robert DeNiro)
One Flew Over the Coocoos Nest (Jack Nicholson)
To Kill A Mockingbird. (Gregory Peck, Mary Badham)
National Lampoon's "Vacation" Films (Chevy Chase.)
The Holiday (Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black)
Good Morning Vietnam (Robin Williams)
One Hour Photo (Robin Williams)
The Birdcage (Robin Williams)
Disturbia ( Shia LeBouf)
Transformers ( Shia LeBouf)
Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy ( Johnny Depp, Orland Bloom)
In America (Paddy Constatine)
Life Is Beautiful (Roberto Begnini)
Monty Python and The Holy Grail (John Cleese)
House of D (David Duchovny)
Mel Brooks Silent Movie
Young Frankenstein (Gene Wilder)
Same Time, Next year (Alan Alda, Ellen Burstyn)
The Time Machine (Guy Pearce)
Frequency (Jim Caviezel, Dennis Quaid)
Pay it Forward (Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey)
The Edge (Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin)
A Perfect World (Kevin Costner, Laura dern, Clint Eastwood)
My favorite tv shows:
Bones
Dirty Jobs
Mythbusters
CSI-Vegas
Nip/Tuck
Robot Chicken
PBR...(no not Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer...it's Professional Bull Riding)
Nurse Jackie
Weeds
The Tudors
and even though these are no longer on, I watch reruns over and over:
Stargate SG-1 with Richard Dean Anderson (not Ben Browder)
Angel (David Boreanaz)
Judging Amy (Amy Brenneman, Tyne Daly)
Frasier (Kelsey Grammar, David Hyde Pierce)
Will and Grace ( Eric McCormack, Debbie Messing)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Sarah Michelle Geller)
Friends ( Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer...)
On the BBCAmerica channel:
The Graham Norton Show
No longer on BBC:
Coupling
Not Going Out
Robin Hood
Movies that are not necessarily favorites but I will watch if there is nothing better on..
25th Hour...Edward Norton
Mr. Brooks... Kevin Costner
Eagle Eye... Shia Lebeouf
Switchback... Dennis Quaid
Never Been Kissed...Drew Barrymore..good family film teaches kids that differences in people are ok.
The Bear... another good family film..very little, if any dialogue.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything. Julie Newmar...Patrick Swayze
Little Children (Not for children)... Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson
Transformers Shia Lebeouf
Disturbia
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Kevin Spacey, Jude Law)
All That Heaven Allows (Rock Hudson) (an oldie but a goody..the movie not Rock)
Waking Ned Devine (David Kelly)
Dr Zhivago (Omar Sharif, Julie Christie)
The Great Escape (Steve McQueen)
Play Misty for Me (Clint Eastwood)
Brubaker ( Robert Redford)
Barefoot in the Park (Robert Redford, Jane Fonda)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford, Paul Newman)
The Hot Rock (Robert Redford)
The Last Castle (Robert Redford, James Gandolfini)
The Electric Horseman ( Robert Redford..again..sensing a pattern here?)
Funny Farm (Chevy Chase)
Coneheads ( Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtain)
Double Indemity (Fred McMurray, Barbra Stanwyck)
About A Boy (Hugh Grant)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (Hugh Grant)
Miracle (Kurt Russel)
Backdraft (Kurt Russel, Billy Baldwin, Robert DeNiro)
One Flew Over the Coocoos Nest (Jack Nicholson)
To Kill A Mockingbird. (Gregory Peck, Mary Badham)
National Lampoon's "Vacation" Films (Chevy Chase.)
The Holiday (Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black)
Good Morning Vietnam (Robin Williams)
One Hour Photo (Robin Williams)
The Birdcage (Robin Williams)
Disturbia ( Shia LeBouf)
Transformers ( Shia LeBouf)
Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy ( Johnny Depp, Orland Bloom)
In America (Paddy Constatine)
Life Is Beautiful (Roberto Begnini)
Monty Python and The Holy Grail (John Cleese)
House of D (David Duchovny)
Mel Brooks Silent Movie
Young Frankenstein (Gene Wilder)
Same Time, Next year (Alan Alda, Ellen Burstyn)
The Time Machine (Guy Pearce)
Frequency (Jim Caviezel, Dennis Quaid)
Pay it Forward (Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey)
The Edge (Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin)
A Perfect World (Kevin Costner, Laura dern, Clint Eastwood)
My favorite tv shows:
Bones
Dirty Jobs
Mythbusters
CSI-Vegas
Nip/Tuck
Robot Chicken
PBR...(no not Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer...it's Professional Bull Riding)
Nurse Jackie
Weeds
The Tudors
and even though these are no longer on, I watch reruns over and over:
Stargate SG-1 with Richard Dean Anderson (not Ben Browder)
Angel (David Boreanaz)
Judging Amy (Amy Brenneman, Tyne Daly)
Frasier (Kelsey Grammar, David Hyde Pierce)
Will and Grace ( Eric McCormack, Debbie Messing)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Sarah Michelle Geller)
Friends ( Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer...)
On the BBCAmerica channel:
The Graham Norton Show
No longer on BBC:
Coupling
Not Going Out
Robin Hood
Movies that are not necessarily favorites but I will watch if there is nothing better on..
25th Hour...Edward Norton
Mr. Brooks... Kevin Costner
Eagle Eye... Shia Lebeouf
Switchback... Dennis Quaid
Never Been Kissed...Drew Barrymore..good family film teaches kids that differences in people are ok.
The Bear... another good family film..very little, if any dialogue.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything. Julie Newmar...Patrick Swayze
Little Children (Not for children)... Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson
Transformers Shia Lebeouf
Disturbia
Just stuff
Just stuff
August 20, 2008 Wednesday 12:48 p.m.
If you need a chuckle...check out these websites...it is hilarious.
http://www.kittywigs.com/
I saw this on "The Graham Norton Show", and had to look for it. Just to see if it was real and it is. Enjoy!
And if you want to see some funny bumper stickers, pins, magnets..etc....check this out....
http://www.northernsun.com/
some of the anti Bush stuff is really funny..
http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/
I saw this on Graham Norton show last night. If you have an extended cable plan, Graham is on the "BBCAmerica" channel. He is British and extremely funny.
As always, I welcome any comments, i'm always interested in what others are thinking.
August 20, 2008 Wednesday 12:48 p.m.
If you need a chuckle...check out these websites...it is hilarious.
http://www.kittywigs.com/
I saw this on "The Graham Norton Show", and had to look for it. Just to see if it was real and it is. Enjoy!
And if you want to see some funny bumper stickers, pins, magnets..etc....check this out....
http://www.northernsun.com/
some of the anti Bush stuff is really funny..
http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/
I saw this on Graham Norton show last night. If you have an extended cable plan, Graham is on the "BBCAmerica" channel. He is British and extremely funny.
As always, I welcome any comments, i'm always interested in what others are thinking.
About me...
I want to let you get acquainted with me a bit more..although I am not going to into my childhood that much..it was a normal, little girl growing up in 1950's, 1960's, 1970's...the only tv shows for kids that were on, were on Saturday morning. Our tv, yes one tv, got maybe 4 or 5 stations. No Sony Play Stations, Nintendo, Internet, or computers. My "fun" was roller skating, bike riding and listening to my radio or record player. For you younger folks that are saying "what's a record player?" We used to have these vinyl discs that had grooves in them and when you put them on a spinning wheel like plate and rested an "arm" that contained a "needle", the vinyl music disc would play. First we had monotone then we graduated to stereo. WOW!! I saw the development of tape recorded music, (which I imagine was around long before our small town saw it)...eight track tapes, cassette tapes, cd's and dvd's.Not to mention Mircrowave ovens, refrigerators that had ice and water in the door, computers. (After I was married we had one of the very first home computers, a Commodore 64. We played Space Invaders and Pong on it.) I walked home from school, at times over a mile in the cold and snow or rain or I would go stay with my mom where she worked until it was time for her to go home. (My mom dropped me off in the morning before she went to work.) And always with a pile of books. We didn't have back packs. I wasn't a very good student. I didn't try hard enough. It was all so boring. What I really wanted to do was take wood shop, but girls weren't allowed. Girls got stuck with Home Ec..either sewing or cooking. If I could go back and do it again, I would. Make a different life for myself.
I still sew to this day. I have made clothes for my kids when they were small. When my daughter was in junior high, she took theater classes. What was called Drama class when I went to school. She was in the play " Legend of Sleepy Hollow". I made her and one of the other girls in the play a 18th century period dress. You know the kind..long, to the floor flowing skirt...They turned out really nice. And I got credit in the play program. Then, when my daughter was in high school and in the play " Much Ado about Nothing.", I made shirts for four of the actors.
I think my favorite and best school subject was art. Going to college wasn't an option. There just wasn't enough money. But no one told me if I worked hard enough at something, I could maybe try for a scholarship. That was in the day before women were encouraged to become doctors and lawyers. We were still relagated to nurses, teachers and secretarys amd of course housewives and mothers.
So after graduation, I worked at a restaurant as a busgirl..one who cleans off the tables...then went to work at Nestles', packing candy bars. I met my husband's sister there and she introduced him and me at the company picnic. I should have stayed home that day.
We were married four months later. Everyone thought I was pregnant..but I wasn't. My husbands dad was nice to me. My mother-in-law was a different story. She didn't like me. I don't know why. ( and she admitted she didn't know why..but she wouldn't have told me if she did..or she wouldn't have told the truth.) After spending 20 years of trying to get her like me and trying to figure why she didn't..I gave up. I just didn't give a **ck anymore.
Okay..change of subject.. at the end of July, 2001, my husband and I bought a motorcycle for our 25th wedding anniversary which was coming up in January. We wanted to be able to enjoy the bike before the snow hit. On September 13, 2001, we went for a ride out in the country, and on the way home, a woman in a chevy minivan, pulled out from her stop sign, causing us to hit her left front end of her van. We had the right of way. The collision threw us 15 feet, through the air, into a dirt field. My helmet came off and was found 10 feet away from me. My husband hit her van hood and windshield of her vehicle, then flew into a road sign post, did a half turn and landed on the ground. ( This was revealed to me about 4 years later.) He was pronounced dead at the scene. I was transported to the hospital by two ambulances...the first one was from a small town and wasn't really equipped for serious trauma, so they were met half way by an ambulance from my town and that one took me the rest of the way. An emergency tracheostomy was done (a tube that gets inserted in the front of the throat at the base by the collar bone from the outside)..because of neck trauma that caused swelling, putting in a breathing tube wasn't possible. After I arrived at the hospital, they cleaned me up and stablized me, let my children see me.. I was awake and alert..I told my son to call Grandma and Grandpa (husbands parents) but to drive to Grandma Dorothy's (my mom, and tell her. I knew she would try and drive up and I didn't want her doing that, she would be to upset besides she was 82 yrs old. I was flown by Lifeflight helicopter to a trauma center in Neenah an hour or so drive from my home. There I went through surgery. My left leg was broken in four places. My left arm broken in two places. All of my ribs were broken and I had a bruised lung and a collapsed lung. I spent a total of 36 days in the hospital, between recovery and Physical Therapy. After I was relased, I spent another 7 months having P.T. At which time...7 months to the day of the accident...April 13, 2002, I was back in the hospital..One of the steel plates in my leg had broken. Emergency surgery was required of course.
Then something bizarre happened..on the 13th every other month, something bad would happen.. And June 13, I had to have one of my dogs put to sleep. On August 13, my son was involved in a car accident. We missed October 13..(My daughter stayed home from school that day and we stayed inside). On November 13, my sister had a heart attack. Nothing happened in December and nothing has happened since.
In an earlier entry I said I had an idea of why I survived our accident and my husband didn't. There are actually two reasons..The first one is...(as I was told by a work companion of my husband)...the two of them were talking in my husband's cubicle at work...my husband leaned back in his chair, put is feet on his desk, and said "You know I have a pretty good life. I have a great wife, great kids, nice house. I love my job. I don't think it can get better then this." GOD saw this, laughed and said to himself.."Boy have I got a surprise for him." And BAM!! he was gone.
Now the second reason..In my husbands previous job, he did a lot of traveling, flying around the country. I think he should have been on one of those planes on Sept 11. But because he left his job and we had to move, he wasn't.
He was one of those types of guys that wouldn't just sit and let some terrorists take over. When we would watch films or documentary's about the holocaust,he would say.."why don't those people fight back? Instead of just lining up and standing there waiting to be shot. If you're going to die, you might as well die fighting." He would have been one of the group on that plane that went down in Pennsylvania, that decided to go out fighting.
I still sew to this day. I have made clothes for my kids when they were small. When my daughter was in junior high, she took theater classes. What was called Drama class when I went to school. She was in the play " Legend of Sleepy Hollow". I made her and one of the other girls in the play a 18th century period dress. You know the kind..long, to the floor flowing skirt...They turned out really nice. And I got credit in the play program. Then, when my daughter was in high school and in the play " Much Ado about Nothing.", I made shirts for four of the actors.
I think my favorite and best school subject was art. Going to college wasn't an option. There just wasn't enough money. But no one told me if I worked hard enough at something, I could maybe try for a scholarship. That was in the day before women were encouraged to become doctors and lawyers. We were still relagated to nurses, teachers and secretarys amd of course housewives and mothers.
So after graduation, I worked at a restaurant as a busgirl..one who cleans off the tables...then went to work at Nestles', packing candy bars. I met my husband's sister there and she introduced him and me at the company picnic. I should have stayed home that day.
We were married four months later. Everyone thought I was pregnant..but I wasn't. My husbands dad was nice to me. My mother-in-law was a different story. She didn't like me. I don't know why. ( and she admitted she didn't know why..but she wouldn't have told me if she did..or she wouldn't have told the truth.) After spending 20 years of trying to get her like me and trying to figure why she didn't..I gave up. I just didn't give a **ck anymore.
Okay..change of subject.. at the end of July, 2001, my husband and I bought a motorcycle for our 25th wedding anniversary which was coming up in January. We wanted to be able to enjoy the bike before the snow hit. On September 13, 2001, we went for a ride out in the country, and on the way home, a woman in a chevy minivan, pulled out from her stop sign, causing us to hit her left front end of her van. We had the right of way. The collision threw us 15 feet, through the air, into a dirt field. My helmet came off and was found 10 feet away from me. My husband hit her van hood and windshield of her vehicle, then flew into a road sign post, did a half turn and landed on the ground. ( This was revealed to me about 4 years later.) He was pronounced dead at the scene. I was transported to the hospital by two ambulances...the first one was from a small town and wasn't really equipped for serious trauma, so they were met half way by an ambulance from my town and that one took me the rest of the way. An emergency tracheostomy was done (a tube that gets inserted in the front of the throat at the base by the collar bone from the outside)..because of neck trauma that caused swelling, putting in a breathing tube wasn't possible. After I arrived at the hospital, they cleaned me up and stablized me, let my children see me.. I was awake and alert..I told my son to call Grandma and Grandpa (husbands parents) but to drive to Grandma Dorothy's (my mom, and tell her. I knew she would try and drive up and I didn't want her doing that, she would be to upset besides she was 82 yrs old. I was flown by Lifeflight helicopter to a trauma center in Neenah an hour or so drive from my home. There I went through surgery. My left leg was broken in four places. My left arm broken in two places. All of my ribs were broken and I had a bruised lung and a collapsed lung. I spent a total of 36 days in the hospital, between recovery and Physical Therapy. After I was relased, I spent another 7 months having P.T. At which time...7 months to the day of the accident...April 13, 2002, I was back in the hospital..One of the steel plates in my leg had broken. Emergency surgery was required of course.
Then something bizarre happened..on the 13th every other month, something bad would happen.. And June 13, I had to have one of my dogs put to sleep. On August 13, my son was involved in a car accident. We missed October 13..(My daughter stayed home from school that day and we stayed inside). On November 13, my sister had a heart attack. Nothing happened in December and nothing has happened since.
In an earlier entry I said I had an idea of why I survived our accident and my husband didn't. There are actually two reasons..The first one is...(as I was told by a work companion of my husband)...the two of them were talking in my husband's cubicle at work...my husband leaned back in his chair, put is feet on his desk, and said "You know I have a pretty good life. I have a great wife, great kids, nice house. I love my job. I don't think it can get better then this." GOD saw this, laughed and said to himself.."Boy have I got a surprise for him." And BAM!! he was gone.
Now the second reason..In my husbands previous job, he did a lot of traveling, flying around the country. I think he should have been on one of those planes on Sept 11. But because he left his job and we had to move, he wasn't.
He was one of those types of guys that wouldn't just sit and let some terrorists take over. When we would watch films or documentary's about the holocaust,he would say.."why don't those people fight back? Instead of just lining up and standing there waiting to be shot. If you're going to die, you might as well die fighting." He would have been one of the group on that plane that went down in Pennsylvania, that decided to go out fighting.
More about me...a continuation of previous page..
More about me
While I was laying in that empty field that I had been thrown into, a man who was fishing a short distance away, close enough to hear the crash, came running to my aide. I found out later that he is the son in law of my neighbors across the street. I met him about 4 years later and asked him how close was he to accident scene. He said "close enough to see you fly through the air and hit the ground." He told me he came running and having EMS experience, knew he couldn't touch me. He got to my husband first, as he was closer to him then to me but immediately knew there was nothing to be done. He saw him hit the post, do a half spin circle around the post and slide to the ground. The man (whose name I can't remember) then came to me.. he said I was laying on my stomach, with my face in the dirt, my left arm twisted backward and up over my head. My left leg under me, on a diagonal slant, from my left hip to my right shoulder, also twisted and my foot pointing up toward the sky at my shoulder. He said I was awake and alert and that I wanted to stand up. He had all he could do to keep me still. And when he wouldn't let me up I started swearing at him. He couldn't believe I was even alive much less awake. He very gently lifted my head just far enough to keep my face out if the dirt so I wouldn't suffocate. He said he called for help with his cell phone and I passed out just as the ambulance arrived. When I met him later on, he just kept shaking his head and saying he couldn't understand how I lived through it or that I was even walking.
Oh and the lady that caused the accident?....If I could talk to her, I'd ask her one question. What was she doing sitting at that stop sign for so long? when I think back about it, it's almost like she was waiting for us. I saw her sitting at the stop sign a good 12 or 15 seconds before we even got to the intersection. I know that doesn't seen like a long time but if she had gone when I first saw her, there wouldn't have been a problem. I heard she told the police the sun was in her eyes. It was after 1:00 in the afternoon and it was cloudy. Had the sun been out it would have been behind her. She had three kids in the car. My guess is she stopped at the stop sign, looked, didn't see us cause we hadn't rounded the curve in the road and come into her view right then, but got distracted by something..kids or radio or maybe lighting a cigarette or using a cell phone, and failed to look a second time. By the time she redirected her attention to the road, we were there. She pleaded guilty to the charge of "failure to yield the right of way" and was fined $125.90. NO I am not kidding.
So now you know the story of my life over the past 54years. I have had a surgery every year for the past 8 years (10 altogether as of Oct 2006, 14 since the age of 6) pinched nerves and such.. three on the left leg, two on left arm, two on left foot, two on the spine and one trachial repair...some of the problems are a result of the accident that weren't considered important enough to fix at the time but also from my arthrits, which disorganizes the small bones.. like the ones in your wrists and feet. The small bones in my wrists are so disorganized that I can not bend them. I have severed three tendons in my left wrist, because they rub over a bone that's not suppose to be there. And one severed tendon in my left foot. I know I will eventually end up in wheel chair and become a burden to my kids, my sisters. That will be the day I say goodbye. I am determined to not be a burden to anyone.
I am not usually a whiner about my personal problems, so you won't get pages of poor me complaints. I know there are alot of people that have worse problems then I do. When I see someone paralyzed from the waist or neck down, or have some sort of disease like Parkinson's or something like that.. and they still have the desire to go on, I think to myself "I don't know how they do it. If it was me, I wouldn't want to live like that."
While I was laying in that empty field that I had been thrown into, a man who was fishing a short distance away, close enough to hear the crash, came running to my aide. I found out later that he is the son in law of my neighbors across the street. I met him about 4 years later and asked him how close was he to accident scene. He said "close enough to see you fly through the air and hit the ground." He told me he came running and having EMS experience, knew he couldn't touch me. He got to my husband first, as he was closer to him then to me but immediately knew there was nothing to be done. He saw him hit the post, do a half spin circle around the post and slide to the ground. The man (whose name I can't remember) then came to me.. he said I was laying on my stomach, with my face in the dirt, my left arm twisted backward and up over my head. My left leg under me, on a diagonal slant, from my left hip to my right shoulder, also twisted and my foot pointing up toward the sky at my shoulder. He said I was awake and alert and that I wanted to stand up. He had all he could do to keep me still. And when he wouldn't let me up I started swearing at him. He couldn't believe I was even alive much less awake. He very gently lifted my head just far enough to keep my face out if the dirt so I wouldn't suffocate. He said he called for help with his cell phone and I passed out just as the ambulance arrived. When I met him later on, he just kept shaking his head and saying he couldn't understand how I lived through it or that I was even walking.
Oh and the lady that caused the accident?....If I could talk to her, I'd ask her one question. What was she doing sitting at that stop sign for so long? when I think back about it, it's almost like she was waiting for us. I saw her sitting at the stop sign a good 12 or 15 seconds before we even got to the intersection. I know that doesn't seen like a long time but if she had gone when I first saw her, there wouldn't have been a problem. I heard she told the police the sun was in her eyes. It was after 1:00 in the afternoon and it was cloudy. Had the sun been out it would have been behind her. She had three kids in the car. My guess is she stopped at the stop sign, looked, didn't see us cause we hadn't rounded the curve in the road and come into her view right then, but got distracted by something..kids or radio or maybe lighting a cigarette or using a cell phone, and failed to look a second time. By the time she redirected her attention to the road, we were there. She pleaded guilty to the charge of "failure to yield the right of way" and was fined $125.90. NO I am not kidding.
So now you know the story of my life over the past 54years. I have had a surgery every year for the past 8 years (10 altogether as of Oct 2006, 14 since the age of 6) pinched nerves and such.. three on the left leg, two on left arm, two on left foot, two on the spine and one trachial repair...some of the problems are a result of the accident that weren't considered important enough to fix at the time but also from my arthrits, which disorganizes the small bones.. like the ones in your wrists and feet. The small bones in my wrists are so disorganized that I can not bend them. I have severed three tendons in my left wrist, because they rub over a bone that's not suppose to be there. And one severed tendon in my left foot. I know I will eventually end up in wheel chair and become a burden to my kids, my sisters. That will be the day I say goodbye. I am determined to not be a burden to anyone.
I am not usually a whiner about my personal problems, so you won't get pages of poor me complaints. I know there are alot of people that have worse problems then I do. When I see someone paralyzed from the waist or neck down, or have some sort of disease like Parkinson's or something like that.. and they still have the desire to go on, I think to myself "I don't know how they do it. If it was me, I wouldn't want to live like that."
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