Feeling Good!

Virginia

Virginia
Spending an afternoon at Marymount during my internship!

My rocks!

My rocks!
Wouldn't be where I am without my parents!

Graduation

Graduation
Walking for my Masters. An interesting book end as this all started when I graduated from undergrad!

Awesome Nurses!

Awesome Nurses!
After my port removal and saying goodbye to my chemo nurses before moving away from Michigan. Wouldn't be doing that without them!

Last Chemo

Last Chemo

Silliness

Silliness
Something to remember and return to. A good day!

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 54. Happy Reading

So I am officially done with homework for the week and was so excited I decided to just go crazy and kick up my heels and ..,lay down and read a fun, fiction book!!!!!

Lol!  Yes I'm a crazy person!!!  But laying back with a good book is the best way to relax right now:).   I can get lost in a great fantasy world and my stress goes down and I feel great!  So pick up a book soon and enjoy the adventure!!!

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 53. Laughing at Test Anxiety!

While there is all kinds of test anxieties, the test I am referring to here is not medical in nature...thank God!  Rather an academic test.  Specifically my online class on research!!    This week was our first test and tonight, after getting home from my walk, I finished up some reading and responded to the discussion questions online and did some review.

I felt so good that I decided to take the test today (Tuesday).  So I organized my notes (it was open book) and logged on to the test.  I had an hour and a half to do 24 questions!  Easy!  Not a problem! Well, 1 hour, 29 minutes and 57 seconds late I frantically pushed submit and watched the timer count all the way down to 1 second remaining before the message popped up that the test was submitted!  I literally started laughing hysterically as I wondered if my heart was going to pound right out of my chest!!!  It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be!  My brain doesn't work in the traditional logical sense so what makes sense to me doesn't always mean I did it the right way.  So I spent a lot of time double checking my answers and reconfirming them and trying to logically (as prescribed by the class readings and notes) figure out the answers on indicating what the Independent and Dependent variables were and things like that.  I think I can safely say that while I will always greatly appreciate research in my field...I don't know as I would be very happy writing it!!!  And I will be looking for the book "Evaluating Research For Dummies" at some point I am sure!  My test is completed and turned in though so the stress of doing it is gone!  Now I just have to wait for the grade!  At least, even though it was a bit hysterical, I still found myself laughing tonight!!!!!

Monday, September 28, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 52. Simple

So today's thing that completely got me to smile was a picture. With Facebook these days there are lots of pictures that we scroll past that make us laugh or smile but once in a while we come across one where the smile isn't thought about. When it is so natural and genuine. Where the smile isn't just your mouth pulling up on either end but you feel a rush of happiness go through you because what you see is so wonderful you can't help it:). 

The picture I saw was of a friends baby. Most of my friends have kids and the pictures of their kids are so cute they always bring a smile to your face. For some reason the picture of this little guy brought a smile that went all the way to my toes!  He was sitting in a little chair and just had the biggest baby grin on his adorable little face!   His whole face was lit up like he was the happiest of God's creations and nothing in the world would ever change that!  It was one of those baby smiles that melts your heart and makes you wish you had a baby too. The smile that pulls at all the loving heart strings you have and all you can do is smile back with that rush of joy and happiness running through you!!!





Sunday, September 27, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 51. The Lunar Eclipse

I think everyone who can is watching the lunar eclipse tonight and I was one of them!  I didn't stay out the whole time but I watched until it was completely covered!

It's kinda amazing to see what can happen in nature!  I've always been fascinated with space and the moon!  I couldn't see it well but I had a chance to look at it through binoculars which made it pop!!  A pretty amazing sight!!

The picture below is one of my attempts of catching the eclipse!


Saturday, September 26, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 50 Pope Francis' Visit!

I have been watching some of the coverage of the Pope's visit on TV this week and have loved being able to see it all:).  It was so exciting to see someone I know (well, I know her more through friends than personally) perform for the pope!  Marie Miller did such a wonderful job!!!  She has an amazing voice and musical talent and she was up there, shining, with some pretty big names!!!

I actually had a chance to go to Philly for much of this but sadly had to decline as I couldn't miss that much school:(.  But then I reminded myself that I am not a huge fan of big crowds even with my white cane.  On top of which the people I would be going with, while wonderful people, don't really know me and I was not totally comfortable asking one of them to help me out with guiding through the crowds.  And while I am far away from chemo, having gone through that and going through surgical menopause...my energy level is not that of a 25 year old.  And yes, I know I am no where near 25 anymore anyway, in my head I feel like I should have that energy still.

So, putting all that aside, I have been loving watching the Holy Father and listening to what he has to say.  I noticed something tonight.  He came alive!  He has visited with the president and spoken to congress and the UN.  Each time he spoke to these large gatherings he was reserved, dignified and seemed to be holding back something.  That something came out tonight in his last address before he left the stage!  He was animated and smiling and pulling everyone there close to him with his words!  It was when he was talking about the family TO the families that it felt like he was getting excited and you had a feeling like he knew you inside and out and everyone there was a close friend, his parishioners that he takes care of.  There was just something I can't quite describe in words what I felt listening to him talk at the end.   And I can't help but smile and feel as if he was talking to me:)

Friday, September 25, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 49. A Good Movie!

I treated myself to a movie this afternoon after putting in some serious home work time.  I was ready for a break and had been seeing adds for a movie called The Intern that looked cute!  I am an Anne Hathaway fan and who doesn't like Robert DeNiro!?  Anyway, I trotted off to the theatre late this afternoon and settled in to watch:).

I wasn't disappointed either!  It isn't the greatest work of art or anything like that but it is a good movie!  It has great actors who just have that talent of grabbing your attention.  I also like the supporting actors who played their small roles in such a way that you remember them as much as the main characters!  The subtle humor worked in there nicely complimented the obvious humor and while it makes you laugh it also makes you cry a little, but not with body shaking sobs, rather with those two or three tears that sneak out!  It wasn't a "who done it" or a thriller but just a life story about people from two generations meeting and learning from each other as well as learning how to deal with what life throws your way without giving up.  About family in all it's various forms.  A story line told many different ways but I have to say, I enjoyed this particular telling:).

Thursday, September 24, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 48. I think I Got It

It's a little thing but today's smile was about getting a concept in class.  I am taking a class on research and some of the concepts are difficult for to keep track of and others are just hard for me to understand.  One of them was involved in this week's discussion group.  I had read everything and couldn't remember reading about it so I went back over things a couple times.

Somehow I kept missing it so it was a struggle of going through other's discussions trying to figure out what I was suppose to be discussing specifically.  But I managed to figure it out and I think even gave a decent response!  That makes me feel pretty good!!  A small thing but an accomplishment!!

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 47. Laughing at Murphy's law!

Everyone knows Murphy's law...if something can go wrong it will.  That was today and by the time I hit 2:30 pm all I could do was laugh at the craziness!  Maybe it doesn't sound truly insane when read but when you are living it...it's just nuts!

I couldn't sleep last night so when the alarm went off I hit snooze.  Then snooze again.  I hadn't built in two snooze slaps into my wake up time!  So I had to hit the ground running with some serious staggering until I could get my eyes to work properly and, you know, open!  I managed to get to class on time and was able to make a tuna fish sandwich and cut and peel vegetables without any issues.  (under a blindfold btw!)  But then I discovered I had written down the due date for an assignment wrong.  It was due today in my Living Skills class and I had it as due next Monday:(.  I love my understanding and flexible teachers!!  So after class I flew home with a short three hour window to finish writing a detailed task analysis (that I had really barely started...ok, not really at all!) before I had to go to the Low Vision Clinic for my hours!  I was on a role and going strong until shortly before 2 pm as I was closing in on finishing writing the assignment.  I had two more sections to go and then just had to double check my work...and the batteries in my mouse died!  Just a hint...don't ignore the low battery warning on your mouse!  So I went to my batterie stash in my desk drawer...it was empty.  One mad dash to the store later I popped the batteries in and waited impatiently for the mouse to reconnect to the computer.  As I sat there waiting to see if my computer was purposely taking it's sweet time detecting my mouse, my stomach started rumbling and growling, reminding me that the tuna fish sandwich and one slightly oniony tasting piece of apple in class was not enough to get me through to dinner at 8 pm!  And oh shoot I needed to get my dinner in the crock pot!!!  Fortunately, just then the mouse and computer found each other and decided to get back together so I was able to finish my assignment, double check it and email it to my teacher!!  

Ok, so now I have about a half an hour before I have to get ready and I scan my food and realize the only thing I had that cooked fast was Stove Topped stuffing.  I'm not ashamed to admit it...lunch was stuffing!  Ten minutes or so of sitting on the couch eating "lunch" was my relaxation for the day and I found myself laughing over the craziness that lead to my unorthodox lunch that day!  Yes, things kept going wrong!  But I still managed to over come the nuttiness....if perhaps not in the most organized way!  Murphy may come knocking at my door with her laws but I am happy to say I am able to laugh in Murphy's face!!  Lol!:)

P.S.  Dinner got put in the crock pot and was delicious!!!

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 46. Getting the Hang of It!

For my living skills class we have to do a progress report for every class on the student we work with that day. It's so we can learn how to write them for when we are practicing. Tonight I wrote my second one and I feel like I am getting the hang of it!

  It definitely helped that my teacher saw me getting my first one back out of my mail box and came over to go over the notes she had put on it. It feels good to feel like you are catching on to a concept:). 

Monday, September 21, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 45. No More Peanut Butter!!!!

I was laughing pretty hard in class today! I couldn't help it!  For the second living skills class in a row we were using peanut butter!!  I will never like peanut butter and when you start stirring it into things the smell is over whelming!!  But I had a partner with a good sense of humor and we were able to laugh about the peanut butter, which in my opinion took on a life of its own!!!

Fortunately my teacher was understanding and had even brought something else to make...jello!  I was able to practice stirring and measuring while making jello.  And a little cutting of pears to add to it:). So yeah, even though peanut butter makes me cringe, I was laughing pretty hard this morning!!!!!

Sunday, September 20, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 44. Back to Writing!


Ever since I learned how to put words together into sentences I have been writing stories.  I watched my sister Stephanie writing stories and since I was at the age where I wanted to do everything she did, I started writing.  It was like my imagination exploded!  Stories just came flooding in and granted, at that young an age they weren't too great!  But I kept on going, writing more and more.  It became a time when I could loose myself in my stories and spend time with my characters.  It was like watching a movie in my head and putting it down on paper.  And as a kid I had a crazy imagination!  Lol!

I have been working on several fiction stories for years.  There has been one that I have rewritten a couple times and the latest draft I really think will be it!  Not that it won't get reworked here and there but I think I have found the direction I want it to go and I think I have found characters that fit the story and hopefully will come alive for others!  I have finally been able to start writing again!  It's been months since I have been able to write because my focus has been entirely on school and my imagination tucked away for now.  And while I still have a year left in school, I feel like I kinda have a handle on things and can create a schedule that will allow me to reopen that world of imagination and get back to work on my book!  Who knows, I might even get it published...and the two other books in the series....someday soon:).

Saturday, September 19, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 43 A Hint of Autumn!

While a great deal of my day was spent doing homework and yelling at the computer when the school's server wasn't working right, I did get a chance to get outside today and it was LOVELY!!  66 degrees and partly cloudy!  I love fall weather and it looks like Michigan is slowly working her way in that direction!

Granted, the weather is jumping back up into the 70's tomorrow but it won't be long before the temps dip a little lower, the trees turn into brilliant colors and there is that lovely, crisp, autumn scent in the air!  Sweaters will become more prevalent and spiced cider will find it's way into my shopping cart at the store!  I'll bring a book to the park and settle in on a bench and go back and forth between reading and watching the leaves fall!  Today was a delightful tease of what is to come soon and I am greatly looking forward to it!

365 Things to Smile About Day 42. A New Recipe

Yes, I know, a day late again!  But in my defense I was doing a lot of homework and errands yesterday!!!

So I tried a Facebook recipe that I couldn't resist!  Tatertots wrapped in bacon and covered in chedder cheese!  Arteries, start to clog!  Lol!  It was pretty good!  Not full of flavor but good:). I think, should I do it again, I'll get a more flavorful bacon!  And yes, I took a picture!  I don't often take pictures of my food but figured since I planned to write about it (because let's face it, bacon makes EVERYONE smile) I would make it a show and tell:). 

(It tastes much better than it looks!  I have no idea how Facebook makes it look so much better!!)


Thursday, September 17, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 41 Giving a Tour!

So today I gave a tour of the Low Vision Clinic for the Low Vision Class this fall at WMU.  And I did it on my own and was excited, nervous and apparently, unable to speak at a normal speed!!  I swear I would have made an auctioneer proud!  Lol!  Whenever I get nervous I talk fast and usually my southern accent comes out in full force!!!  Fortunately today the accent stayed tucked away...I just spoke faster than cars on the speedway!!

But, despite that I think it came out ok:).  Hopefully people were interested and will enjoy coming back to observe low vision appointments.  Feels good to be able to explain things about my field!

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 40. Successful Sandwich Making!

Ok, I know this might sound funny but I will add a little background information:)  I am taking a class called Living Skills where I will learn how to teach people who are blind or visually impaired to do things such as cook, clean, pay bills and so many things people with sight don't think twice about.  Such as, making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without being able to see!

This morning I helped a classmate make a sandwich under the blindfold and then she helped me!  Not that we did the work for the other person but we observed their movements, looking for ways we can suggest to help them do it in the best way for them while making minimal mess...an issue a even person with 20/20 sight has to deal with:).  What I loved about this is that I felt like I was sliding in to another groove in this field.  I had initially decided to only pursue Orientation and Mobility.  I have since added getting certification in Low Vision Therapy and am now seriously considering a second Masters in Vision Rehab Therapy.  Living Skills is a class that is in that program and like O & M and Low Vision Therapy, I am starting to fall in love with this line of work in the field of Blindness and Low Vision.  My first love will always be O & M but if I can help people even more with this third certification, then I will!  And I think I will enjoy learning not only PB & J's but all other kinds of food and skills and someday helping others hone those skills in their lives!!



Tuesday, September 15, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 39. A Head Scratcher

Well, to be totally honest I'm having a hard time coming up with something substantial to write about today. Getting over food poisoning isn't all that fun, no matter how light it was. 

So I'm going to focus on how comfortable my bed is!  Lol!  Thank the lord for the memory foam bed toppers!!!  When you aren't feeling well it is nice to be able to snuggle down on a comfortable bed and just melt into the mattress!  Feels like you are sleeping on fluffy clouds and helps ease the discomfort of not feeling good. So maybe a silly thing to write about but certainly something to smile about. :)

365 Things to Smile About Day 38. A Good Book!

Ok, I know I missed yesterday but the day got away from me with home work and then an unfortunate reaction to what I had for dinner last night!!  Moving on from that and focusing on a good thing from yesterday and that is a good book!

I love to read but have a hard time reading a physical book because my eyes have become more sensitive than they were before chemo.  They tire so much faster than ever before.  I have always had a visual impairment but I could muscle through and just read while squinting and holding the book a few inches from my face.  During chemo I couldn't do that at all.  My eyes would get so tired so fast and I physically couldn't hold up the book I was reading as it was rather thick and heavy!  So I broke down and got the Kindle app on my tablet and bought the book I was reading on Kindle and then made the print nice and large.  I could prop the tablet up so I didn't have to hold it and read when I was awake enough:).

This was a HUGE help to me during chemo as I have always been able to loose myself in a good story.  To this day that hasn't changed and that is what I did last night as I was eating dinner.  I had gotten a book that was a pre-qual to the series I read during chemo and greatly enjoyed loosing myself in the story and remembering all the events that would come next and wishing they had gone further back and written books on the characters that weren't physically in the series but mentioned many times as the past of the world written about.  Any Robert Jordan fans out there?  Am I alone in wishing that some books will be written about the Age of Legends and how it came to an end??  Anyway, I am getting a little side tracked:).  I guess my point is that books are an amazing thing for anyone dealing with difficult times and amazing for people who aren't.  To find yourself in the world of characters you love and travel with them and be pulled into their lives is a pretty wonderful feeling!

In closing I am going to give a plug for my friend Nick Mason who is a fellow author and has managed to publish before me!  His first book, The Subversion Complex, can be ordered on Kindle and Amazon and is well worth checking out!  It is the first of a trilogy he is writing and is the kind of book that pulls you in to the characters and gives you a break from whatever you are doing.  I know I am looking forward to book two and book three:).  So check it out!





Sunday, September 13, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 37. Music

I have always been someone who loves music.  When ever I drive the radio is on; whenever I write Pandora is on and when ever I walk to exercise there is always up beat music in my ears.  I think it not only fuels the imagination but it also can affect your emotions.  When I am sad I listen to soothing music.  When I am angry I go back and forth between quiet and up beat music.  When I am writing I listen to whatever song evokes the images in my head that I am trying to put on paper.  Each emotion requires a different kind of music.

I was so happy the day I discovered Pandora!  Because of that lovely app I have had music with me constantly.  And music, I have found, has helped me deal with a lot.  When I was going through chemo there was a lot of time when I couldn't listen to music.  For some reason I just couldn't process it and it was more noise than anything to me.  The day I could play music and not feel exhausted and disoriented was a happy day for me!

Today I am smiling because of music!  It brings to mind so many memories!  And it also helps sooth when I am feeling "rumpled in spirit". :).  I have felt that way a lot lately and I love that I can turn on Pandora and scan through until I find a song that at the sound of the first few notes I can feel the tension and sadness fade from me.

I know I am suppose to be writing about things that make me smile, and I am,  but the reason I am doing that is because there has been a lot this summer that has taken away my ability to smile so many times.  A lot of hurt and pain.  But tonight I was reminded when those sad thoughts start to dance through my mind, I can turn on my music and the melodies work to wash it away and I find myself smiling again.  :).  So thank you Lord for beautiful music of all kinds!  Because of music I am able to smile through anger, tears, frustration and confusion.  I honestly don't know what I would do without my music!  Probably have to resort to singing out loud!  And that wouldn't be pretty!  Lol!

Saturday, September 12, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 36. Evening Walks

As is normal in Michigan the weather has been on a roller coaster lately. The temps have dipped to a pleasant level in the 60's. When the rain stopped this evening the sun started to set and left the sky with streaks of dark pink among the clouds on the horizon. 

My mom's knee is going through physical therapy but she still was able to go on a slow walk up and down the road with me tonight, accompanied by one of our faithful cats, Spot:). The guard kittie that gets upset when we leave the yard and follows us until we return. :)

  It was one of those walks where we talked about different things and enjoyed the cool air.   These are walks I love.  The talks don't always have to be deep...although sometimes they are. I encourage you to take walks with your family as often as you can.   It is the little things that stay with you. 













Friday, September 11, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 35. Sunset and Trains

I'm waiting for the train to go visit my parents tonight and it is an hour late. So I'm sitting on the platform watching the sun set and listening to a group of college freshmen talking. 

I like train rides. You sometimes meet or at least see some interesting people!!  Like these teenagers. I'm laughing listening to them talk about parties and shaking my head listening to them talk about their fake IDs!  

The other good thing about trains is they are just relaxing to ride!  You get a quiet car and listen to some music and just enjoy the gentle rocking:). Very relaxing:)






Thursday, September 10, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 34 Walks, Mosquitos and Home Work!

I have to say that today was a productive day:)  I woke up, went to church, came home and had breakfast...then promptly (but not on purpose) fell back to sleep until lunch time!  Lol!  So much for good intentions!!!  But thats ok:)  I managed to go through my homework for the week for one of my online classes and feel mostly good with the results:)

This evening I took a walk.  The weather is calming down here for a week or so and tonight the humidity was low and the breeze pleasant.  Two miles of walking down my road and back was just what I needed.  I noticed something about people who walk and run at night...they are very nice!  Everyone I passed either smiled or said hello even if they were setting a pretty fast pace!  I like that feeling of community my neighborhood has and it was nice to be included in it tonight:).  The only down side was swallowing a rather large mosquito!!  I was picking up my pace and breathing hard when suddenly the little bugger did a suicide dive towards the back of my throat and I didn't notice until impact on my soft palate!  At which point I did a fairly good imitation of a cat hacking up a fur ball right there on the sidewalk!!!  It wasn't until I started walking again that I realized I had an audience of a mom and daughter and two dogs!  LOL!  Fortunately they were smiling so I hope they understood that I wasn't have some kind of possessed episode but was rather trying to cough up the winged insect that had tried to take a dive down my wind pipe!!!

And so I am curling up for the night, with plans of more homework for tomorrow and maybe some sewing projects:)  Hope everyone is having a good evening!  God Bless!

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 33. A Little O & M:)

So my major is Orientation and Mobility for Adults and I LOVE what I am learning to do!  Any chance to teach or assist in teaching any amount of O & M is like candy to me!  I get a rush and the adrenaline pumps and I get excited and happy!!  As many of my friends can attest, once you give me an opening to talk about O & M or blindness and low vision, it's hard to get me to stop!  LOL!!

Today was my first day of class for Living Skills which is learning how to teach things like kitchen use (cooking and so on) as well as cleaning and many other things to people who are blind or visually impaired.  While it is not a part of my program I originally signed up to fill up some credits and get some extra information in the field.  Now I am starting to seriously consider adding a third certification in VRT.:)

I got a chance to help my instructor demonstrate Human Guide and a few more O & M skills to the class to help navigate around the kitchens and other rooms with a blindfold on and a partner.  It was exciting to have even a small chance to do some O & M this morning and I can't wait to find some more chances to practice these next two semesters:).

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 32 ORGANIZED!!

I have to laugh a little over my organizational skills.  At work I am the most organized person.  In school...I have been struggling to find an organizational style that works for me.  Not sure why I can be totally organized for work and completely disorganized in school!  But there it is!  In all fairness up until chemo I had an extremely good memory in regards to my personal calendar.  Now unless I write it down on a piece of paper I am more than likely to forget about it!  A lot of people have told me to use my phone and the calendar on it and I try to but the ridiculous thing is I forget to look at it and the squinting required to read the calendar and the inability to see it all at a glance doesn't work for me.

So I have printed up the syllabi I have gotten, bought a large print day planner, and have put my classes and assignment due dates and tests into the book as well as my clinic hours and even color coded everything with hi-lighters!  So sincerely hoping this helps me keep everything strait!!!  Feeling pretty good about this!  All I have to do is open the book and at a glance I have a snapshot of my month which is what works best for me!  Electronic scheduling is a VERY good idea for a lot of people but a good old pen and paper can also work for some people!

Monday, September 7, 2015

365 Things To Smile About Day 31. Calm Before Crazy!

So nothing really amazing happened today.  It was a quiet day with a few errands and trying to re-orrient myself to West Campus a little for my Living Skills class:).  So I have decided to take this day as a day of rest before the semester starts tomorrow:).  Talked with friends and just let calmness wash over me:).  Nothing amazing but helpful in preparing for a busy semester of classes and observations and studying for certification:).

So this is short and sweet but appreciating these quiet days I think is important:).

Sunday, September 6, 2015

365 Things To Smile About Day 30. Sewing Rice Bags!

I'm reminded once more how much sewing calms me down today. There is a calming rythem to it and I love seeing things form under the needle:).  Creative work is always amazing to me!

 Today I was making rice bags!  One to replace my own that is wearing out and a few for some friends:). I think that's half the fun of sewing, making things for others!  I do make things for myself too...but it is wonderful being able to see people's faces when you give them something hand made:). 



Saturday, September 5, 2015

365 Things to Smile About Day 29. A Beautiful Church!

Today I walked into my church for the first time since I got back this week and could't help but smile!  I love my church.  It feels like home and the priests there are very kind, knowledgable and good people.  The only bummer was it was stuck in the 60's as far as decor goes!  For the month or so before I went on vacation they were redoing the inside and today I got a view of it for the first time!

They replaced the orange carpets with beautiful ceramic tiles,  replaced the old, crumbling pews with orange seats with beautiful, brown, wooden pews and I am sure there was more but that is what I noticed first off.  There was a newly married couple taking pictures so I did't want to get in their way exploring a little more:).  The church looks beautiful and I can't wait to go to Mass there tomorrow:).

Friday, September 4, 2015

365 Things To Smile About Day 28. Happiness at the Fabric Store!

I am what is commonly known as a Fabricaholic!  While spell check may not like the word yet it is slowly making it's way into the English lexicon and is a real thing.  See, a Fabricaholic is a genetic disease that is passed on from mother to daughter and it is ingrained in childhood to not see this as a problem.  In fact, I see it as an opportunity.  An opportunity to create fun and beautiful things.  Some people manage it through making clothes, arts and craft cutesy things, blankets or just about anything!  I personally like to make blankets, tote bags, aprons, placemats and things along those lines.  I did take a sewing class to try to break into clothes and I was OK at it but it turned out to not be my thing:).

Today I went into JoAnn's Fabric to get some material for making rice bags for some friends.  I needed exactly two yards split between two patterns.  Oh the choices!  I haven't been in a fabric store in a while so it was pretty wonderful!!  LOL!  And I have made mental notes for future sewing projects but didn't buy the material yet.  Which is actually quite the accomplishment for a Fabricaholic!  My stash of material is growing but I don't think yet can rival my mother's or grandmother's!  I was so VERY tempted to add some Dr. Who material to it though for a future blanket!

I guess my point is I spent a happy 45 minutes just browsing materials and thinking what I could make with it!  I only walked out with what I went in to get (which, lets face it, is miraculous for any trip to any store!) and left with a smile on my face and ideas brimming in my mind!!!

Thursday, September 3, 2015

365 Things To Smile About Day 27. I Successfully Hooked up Electronics!

I am not the most electronically savvy.  In fact, wires and plugs and setting up any electronics is not my thing at all.  I usually call a brother or a friend to help me out but right now I have neither around!  So I asked probably a million questions at Best Buy when I was getting my wireless router to hook up.   I am sure I drove the poor salesman crazy when I repeated questions and then repeated his answer several times.  Sadly, unless I do that these days the chance of me remembering things is about 50 / 50!

I went strait home and within twenty minutes, I had my wireless router hooked up to all my devices and am happy to know I will no longer go over my data on my phone and I did it on my own!!!!  No tutor videos or frantic calls to the Geek Squad!!!  Nothing has randomly stopped working or blown up and I have wireless so I guess I did it right!!

Feels good to have remembered enough of the instructions to combine with the written directions (thank goodness for picture directions!!) that I was able to do this!  Who knows, maybe some day I can do it without the verbal instructions and picture directions!  Lol!

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

365 Things To Smile About Day 26 Getting Ready For School and Back In the Clinic!

I hit the ground running this morning!  Had to go get my school books and after I fought down the urge to cry I started looking through them and got excited!  I have a little less of a schedule this semester so I am hoping to increase my observation hours and get my study guide finished for my certification exam!  It feels good getting closer to being done:)

Then this afternoon I made it back into the Low Vision Clinic for observation hours.  I always love going there because the people who work there are always positive and have smiles on their faces!  It makes for a great work environment and I get to learn new things each time:).  Tonight I helped someone choose the best tint of sunglasses for outdoor use and showed a couple people the perks and helpfulness of using a Pebble for reading:).  This kind of work and O and M are so exciting to me and I can't wait to be doing them both full time!!!!

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

365 Things To Smile About Day 25. Hit the ground running!

As much as I didn't want to leave Virginia this morning I had to take a deep breath and get on the plane.  Coming back to Michigan isn't all disappointing.  For a few minutes I got to hug my parents at the airport as they delivered my car to me to be able to drive back to Kalamazoo without back tracking.  That was incredibly helpful as I ended up running errands and starting to get ready for classes next week.

It felt good being busy here.  Getting chores accomplished and getting organized for the semester to start.  I will admit, I was pleasantly reminded just how comfortable my couch was at the end of the day when I collapsed on it and caught up on a couple episodes of The Last Ship!  At any rate, while today wasn't full of the excitement of the past couple weeks, it was a good day and I got a lot done:).  So I am smiling over being able to accomplish things and ending the day tired but satisfied:).