Perspective...

Well, just wanted to say hey and hope you all have a great weekend... Just taking a little time to think about the gal pal and give thanks that she's crazy about me... These pics were from Christmas. It's funny, they say that God works in mysterious ways. I'm living proof of that. In the past, I used to hate having my picture taken. Didn't want anything to do with them. My girlfriends of the past very seldom got me to take any kind of photos. I hated to look at myself. I didn't mind looking at anyone else, but I grew up as a guy suffering from depression and self loathing. Even after getting my poop in a group and turning my life around... It didn't matter... I didn't like taking them. More often than not, I wouldn't. Not till now. Now I am a big goof ball who wants to take pictures with my gal pal. It is so funny how God works. All those years with only a few pictures. And now, every time I go see the gal pal, I AM THE ONE who tells her to break out the camera to get some pics of us... Anyone who knows me, knows that I am anything BUT vain... I still struggle with looking in the mirror when I get ready for work every morning. But I don't hate myself anymore. I know and believe that God doesn't make junk. So I choose to break out of my comfort zone and do things like take pictures to document how happy I've become. And I write about it to serve as a reminder that no matter how rough life can get, it will only suck some of the time and it's up to me to decide how I'm going to face up to those adversities... and when to let go of them because those faces in the pictures prove beyond a reasonable doubt that God does live and that life was meant to be lived. And not to be taken for granted... but to be treasured and appreciated. Because no matter how bad I think I have it, someone has it worse... much worse. So I try to keep a grateful heart... and to enjoy life as it comes... and with faith in God and the love of my gal pal, I'm enjoying it so much more than I ever thought humanly possible...

Lookin' Back, Lookin' Ahead...

Howdy folks,
Well it's been a while since I've written. That's because my schedule has been pretty silly and insane... busy as all get out. But I wanted to drop a line to you all to wish you a happy and safe and prosperous 2008... For me, 2007 had a lot of low points. Friends that had passed away... some expected, some not. My sisters have been battling hard for their health and it hasn't gone as well as they had hoped. Terri is facing chemo and radiation indefinitely. Lou went back to the hospital and the nursing home for a the last month or so after only two weeks out of rehab. But again, she is hoping to be released from the nursing home this Saturday... I had some problems with the TV sports station that I worked for... it would've been easy to get mad and rip on people, but that wouldn't have served any good purpose. I had to believe that good would come from it... and it has... I'm working with a friend of mine on a sports website called www.toledosportsradio.com that is still in it's infant stages. But we're doing a weekly sports show and plenty of high school basketball games online. Some audio... some audio and video... but it's been a great amount of fun and we're starting to make strides in the Toledo area... Not looking to become stars... just want to make a few bucks and have some fun. Meanwhile, the biggest positive to come out of 2007 was the relationship with my better half... my gal pal... She is so humble and easy going. She is so gentle and understanding with me. She let's me be myself. And I let her be herself... and we both thrive in that enviornment and have prospered tremendously as a result. God gets all the credit and glory as I have been blessed by her. She is simply amazing. I could try to put words together to describe her and the effect she has had on my life. But the words would never do her justice. She doesn't seek to be noticed or draw any attention to herself. She just conducts herself as a wonderful and awesome Christian woman who has changed my life for the (much) better. I praise God every day for her... My biggest hope for 2008 is that our love continues to grow like it has and that I continue to grow in my faith and not just talk about it. But rather, live my faith... to be a better Christian and to help others in my community and my gal pal's community as well... I look forward to 2008 with a sense of optimism and hope... I also look forward to keeping in touch with all of you... thanks for being a friend to me, even if I didn't always hold up my end of the bargain. I hope that I will improve on that as we dip our tootsies deeper into the sea of 2008...

Gal Pal Time...

I was able to steal away a couple of days and got to spend it with the gal pal... She absolutely leaves me stunned with who she is. She has absolutely no idea how awesome she is... it doesn't occur to her that she impacts people and has changed lives more than she knows... She is by far, the greatest gift that the Good Lord has ever blessed me with... I still stymie her on occasion because she feels as equally blessed by having me in her life. I always tell her though that I had to come a lot further to give my heart to her. She's a born and raised good and decent Christian woman. Involved in church and is spiritually strong in her faith. Me, I was an absolute clown for the longest time and believed in God, but didn't want much to do with Him. So I didn't care about much of anything spiritual. It wasn't till I lost some close relatives and friends that I began to search for answers. I didn't like what I was finding. But I had to realize that I needed something more grounded in faith. I decided to reach out and believe in something I didn't physically see. It can get scary sometimes, but it also can be so peaceful and amazing... And my gal pal is someone I lean on considerably. She helps keep me grounded and firm in what I truly believe. At one time, I didn't want to be with any woman ever again. Now, I sit here wondering what my life would be like without her... I don't think about that much but instead think about the future... something I never thought about before...

Brilliance On Ice... and Snow !

Hey all... I always said that I would write for better or worse about the little nuggets that happen in my life... well, I guess that I should plow forward with the silly event that happened to me when I got home in the middle of the night from Iowa. It was something that could only happen to me. So, when last we left our hapless hero, I had just survived a spinout and had to have my car yanked out of a ditch of mud and frustration was ruling supreme. I went to Davenport knowing full well that there was going to be a nasty storm that was going to hit throughout the midwest and our team bus was going to ride right in the middle of it. No big deal, I've been through storms before... not a problem. Being midwesterners, we're used to this stuff. So I planned to scrape off the ice and snow and let the car warm up with the defroster going full tilt. So we get home, I go to my car, and see that it's coated with over an inch (or a few centimeters) of ice and ridiculous amounts of snow. So I go and clear the key hole for my trunk and manage to get it open and put my luggage in... I went and tried to unlock and open my door. No dice. I chiseled and scraped till I lost feeling in my hands, face and feet... Still, no go... I tried for over a half an hour to get into my own car with no success... After applying the stuff that unfreezes locks and still not being able to get in my car, I had all these thoughts going through my head as I was trying to turn the key in the lock to the right... more time passed as I was beyond frustrated. I was thinking about how I had to work in just a few short hours and how was I going to get there. The weather is very cold so when was the stinking lock ever going to thaw... just all kinds of questions as I could feel my heartburn start to kick in... until one of the other players asks “are you sure you're turning the key in the right direction?” I'm looking at this kid like he's on drugs... “yeah I'm turning it in the...” and then I turn it in the opposite direction and BAM... the *&*^%%$$ DOOR OPENS... over an hour of freezing my ya-ya's off in below zero temps with 25 mph winds... and I was turning the key the WRONG WAY!!! I am such a dork! The players that were still there scraping the ice off of their own cars (about 8 of them) were laughing hysterically and making all kinds of jokes at my expense... to be honest, I didn't mind that. I started to laugh myself after a little while... I learned not to take myself so serious... I love these guys... they are a riot! When I got home, I just plopped on the couch and fell immediately asleep for what amounted to a nap before work... But I know that through my, uh, sharp brainiac skills, I gave them a memory they won't soon forget... I suppose it could've been worse...

Sliding In A Winter Wonderland...

Greetings from Davenport, Iowa...
NO I'm not out here checking out the canidates running for president. Thank God, I couldn't handle it... I'm here because we have hockey games going on. I had a fun experience last weekend. I was on my way home from a Cherokee hockey game and we were in the middle of a beauty of an ice storm. I was doing fine all the way home until I got off the exit to head to the house. I wasn't speeding but I still felt the car hit a patch of ice and start to slide sideways and I ended up flying into a ditch. I was really furious but kept my cool (at least on the outside)... I called a tow truck and it cost me a small fortune to get my car pulled out of there. I was so frustrated... I was only 20 seconds from home... 20 freakin' seconds. But at least there was no damage to the car. I was stuck in the ice and the mud... grrrrrrrrr.... and now this weekend we're going to head home from Iowa and drive right into the middle of a raging snow storm... yippeee... I'm not mad... BUT... I'd sure like a quiet relaxing week... HA!

Grateful (I'm Not) Dead...

Ahhh, the joy of breathing...
I feel a whole lot better after a week of being in bed and sick as a dog... Lou is doing better as she was hospitalized with a kidney infection, dehydration, and a urinary tract infection. Her blood pressure was also through the roof. Anyway, I finally got everything I needed to finish rebuilding Terri's computer (namely so I can get mine back...heh-heh). It turned into a battle of wills as instead of just dropping a new hard drive and processor and some memory in it.... I ended up also getting a new motherboard, video card, power supply and sink fan and tower for it... grrrrrrr... I don't mind, but since I'm not rolling in cash, it did make it a challenge. But I got it all done and this weekend we'll get the rest of the job done of putting it all together. I think this is going to be her birthday/ Christmas gift. Believe me, it was a pain. But I'm glad that we're over the hump... Now that I'm up and around (finally), I went last night and did a little Christmas shopping. Spent a lot of money... more than I thought I would, but didn't really have a ton to show for it. But you know what? After seeing what that moron did in Omaha, gunning down those 8 people and then taking the gutless coward's way out and turning the gun on himself, I decided to take a 'so what' attitude in regards to how much money I spent. Life is so freakin' fragile. Just when I complain and moan about all the things I have to deal with in life, I can honestly say that I bet there isn't a family member of those 8 people that wouldn't give anything to have their loved ones back to celebrate Christmas with... to say 'I love you' one more time... One more hug, one more kiss... one more smile... I guess like always, it comes down to a matter of perspective. Instead of fretting over the little things this Christmas, I'm choosing to show some grattitude for being alive. No matter how much I struggle, I am grateful to wake up every morning... and to spend time with those I care about... including my friends right here... Talk to y'all soon...
Mik

Feeling Crappy, But Still Happy... Or Is That Too Sappy?

Hey y'all,
I'm a little under the weather as I crank out this entry... okay, who's kidding who here? I feel like absolute CRAPOLA!!! But I digress... I've been fighting the flu, cold, fever, congestion... all of those little pearls of goodness that you go through when you get sick. Me, I'm not nauseous, but the rest of it I have in abundance. And here's the worst part of it... I called into work for today because I couldn't muster up the energy to go. But at about ten in the morning I get a phone call from Lou's visiting nurse telling me that she needs to go to the emergency room. She was very dehydrated, her blood sugar was high and her blood pressure was through the roof and she was tiger-chunking (aka vomiting) to beat the band. Terri was in bed because of the wonderful ravages of chemotherapy. And the only hospital that the ambulance would take Lou to, is not covered under Lou's insurance. So, either I get up and go take her in, or she's stuck in a rut of misery... Believe me, I thought about it... but I sucked it up and threw some clothes on and headed out in the delightfully balmy 30F (-2C) temps to go rescue Lou and take her to the ER at the hospital she needed to go to across town. My head felt like a stinkin' bowling ball and my head was/is spinning around... of course with Lou being a big girl with only one leg, no one can move her around when she's like this. So I ended up having to move her into her wheelchair from my car, and from the wheelchair to the hospital bed when she got into the ER... I honestly don't mind, and would probably not even mention it if I were feeling better. But I just got home and I'm going to curl back up on the sofa and sleep and rest and peek occasionally on my laptop to see how you all are doing... I'll be fine. I'm in a decent mood even though my body feels like ten pounds of poop in a five pound bag... I just have to take my meds and let this puppy just run its course... Hang in there people...and stay warm... Unless you live in florida in which case I hope you freeze... hahaha... just kidding :)

Post Turkey Musings (sneeze free)

Well, I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. I ate pretty good for a change... dare I say it... ALMOST healthy...ha!... I had a pretty good weekend. Found a brand new 10 cup coffee maker at the for four bucks... It was such a great deal I had to buy it... and I don't even drink coffee! Found some other things too but I have to keep those to myself because I know that some people (hint: gal pal) read this space so I shall keep things mum... :) Anyhow, my weekend was fun because for a change, my sports teams won... woo-hoo... that's always nice. My favorite thing to do this weekend was watching the Grey Cup football game. I have a little to-do every year for it and it was fun. For those who don't know what that is... the Grey Cup is the equivalent of the Superbowl in Canadian Football... I know the question to be ask is: "Mik, why do you watch Canadian Football?" Big answer: I don't know... I just do. Larger field, only 3 downs instead of 4... I dunno... but I just do. I still love college and pro here in our country too, but I've liked the canuck version since I was a little kid back in the days when dinosaurs walked the earth... my favorite team won so I'm happy...
Had a strange experience on Saturday night. I had to broadcast a basketball game online down in Fremont. No big deal, But as the game was ending, I could feel myself coming down with something. I was feeling very congested and sneezing almost uncontrollably. I wasn't driving so I closed my eyes and tried to sleep some on the way back home. No such luck. I finally got home after what seemed like an eternity and sat in front of my TV set to watch the end of the Missouri-Kansas game when I popped a throat lozenge in my mouth. Not a cough drop nor cough syrup, but just a lozenge that numbs up your throat when it's sore. I fell asleep about ten minutes after I was done with the lozenge and woke up the next morning with no congestion, no sneezing, no cough, nothing... It felt almost surreal... I had put in a 20 hour day on Saturday so part of it is due to exhaustion. But when did a throat lozenge cure an oncoming cold??? Must've been Divine Intervention... mind you, I'm not complaining... :)

Giving Thanks = Thanks Giving

Hey y'all,
Just wanted to take a moment here on Thanksgiving to give thanks for life, family, and friends. First, I thank God for His Blessing me with the gift of life. My life may not be a bowl of cherries or the life of riley, but I've seen too many instances where people have lost loved ones way too soon and don't have a second chance to patch things up or make changes in their lives to turn things around. We can't change our past, but we can do something about the future. Which is why we live in the gift of the 'present'... Always remember folks, it's not how you start in life, it's how you finish. So to God, I say thanks for loving your kids here... even when we color outside the lines.
I give thanks for my family. This hasn't always been easy. I grew up a self serving selfish punk. It was always all about me. I didn't want to be around my family because I was hell bent on doing my own thing. As I've gotten older and absorbed some of the bumpier side of life, I've come to realize that while you can't pick your family, it's never too late to make things right. I made things right with my father in the final 5 years of his life. That is a gift I treasure. There are others that I wasn't so fortunate. But I can't change the past so I live in the now. I can't impact the lives of people that are gone from my life. But I can impact the lives of people that are in my life right now. My sisters, my nephews, have become very important to me. Watching Lou and Terri struggle with their health has really made me realize how strong they are and that they impact lives a whole lot more than I ever could... I talk alot about my faith... They LIVE their faith. Actions, not words, are what gets things done. But I'm growing and learning to appreciate them more than I did in the past.
Finally, the gal pal. She has taught me more about life and what it is to overcome obstacles and she does it with such beauty and grace. She has absolutely no clue as to how amazing she really is. There are times where I wonder how she deals with things like not being able to walk. Things that I take for granted everyday. It doesn't even register with her that she has a "disability"... She prefers to think about the abilities she does have. She touches lives and continues to live each and every day to the fullest. I am in complete awe of her. It blows me away that she is as crazy about me as I am her. Thankful? Are you kidding me? ABSO FREAKIN' LUTELY... Grateful to God is more like it. She has rocked my world and I'm a better man for it...
One more thing... I thank God for all of you... that's right... YOU. You guys have been a true blessing to me. I know some might say that you guys are out in cyberspace and not part of my 'real life'... well I say that is a pile of buffalo bagels... when I've been down in the dumps, discouraged, frustrated... angry and po'd at the world, you've been there offering prayers, words of encouragement, practical advice. I am honored that you guys would come hang out at my little outpost and become my friends. Thank you seems inadequate but that is what I have to offer... THANK YOU... and may you all find something to be thankful for... even when things aren't going perfect. I know tomorrow starts the insanity of the Christmas shopping season... I'll be out there too. I'll do a little online shopping but I like going out there and watching people go all maniacal in the stores. Hey, if you've got a funny or cool story about your turkey day or black friday shopping experience, feel free to leave it here. I want to hear from you guys... In the mean time, my gratitude, and best wishes for a blessed thanksgiving go out to all of you and your loved ones... God Bless You...
Mik

A Pretty Good Day

Today is one of the better days going on in Mik-dom... First of all, Lou gets to come home to her house for the first time in over four months! She worked her butt off to rehab to the point that they said she could be discharged. Her and Terri are going to make a go of it. Terri has a couple more weeks of work and then she's done. She's still not that happy about it, but is going to do what she can to keep going... Lou had yet to see the new ramp that was built for her. There are lots of reasons to be thankful as we head towards the Thanksgiving holiday... This point was driven home BIG TIME at church on Sunday. It wasn't this big religious experience or anything. But we had a visitor in the form of Patrick Henry Hughes. Patrick and his dad (Patrick John) were the featured speakers for services this past weekend. Patrick Henry's story was on ESPN and he's done speeches all over the country I guess. PH was born without eyes and can't walk and his arms and legs can't really straighten out. But he developed an ability in music from the age of 9 months and by age of two could play his kiddie tunes. He now is a freshman in the U of Louisville marching band. His father (PJ) pushes PH's wheelchair in the different formations while PH plays the trumphet. The irony of it: PH is not a music major in college. He's a spanish major. What a hoot. But he and his dad were at my church and boy I felt like I had no reason to feel bad about anything... these two were a huge inspiration. I hope that I can improve and be a better person and no matter how bad things can get, that I can be grateful in all circumstances... If you want to check out the service, they have it archived on Cedar Creek's website. Just click on the the link on the right side of this page and click on "watch messages" on their home page. Now please note, the video that will pop up is from 11/11/07 and Ben is sitting in a comfy chair at Starbucks. But if you look to the bottom of the video it has a link also that reads 11/18/07 and if you double click on that, you can watch Patrick's story... it's really awesome... anyway, I thought I'd say hello and wish you all a great day. By the way, I had a blast on friday on the radio show. Todd said he wants me to come back and fill in again sometime... I have a heart today of gratitude... I pray I can keep that spirit within me...

I Heard It On The Radio...

Hey folks,
Just wanted to touch base and say howdy. Terri's birthday was this past Sunday so I was/am thankful for another year of life. She was told by her doc that she has to go on disability. She is really bummed about that. She's tried putting on a brave face, but it really has got her down. The doc told her that the tumors haven't shrunk any, but they haven't grown either. So it's a minor win. At this point, we'll take it. She cheers up when she wants to know how me and my gal pal are doing. She and Lou both eat it up when they hear and see their little brother squirm trying to not talk about my relationship. Great as it is, I'm just not used to talking about me. That has always been a tough thing for me. But it lights them up when they hear that my gal pal keeps me in line. They just howl and have big crap eating grins when they see me squirm. It cheers them up. Lou is doing great in her rehab and the prosthetic leg... she'll be getting ready to think about home before too long.
Nothing new with me. I'm going to co-host with my buddy Todd on a morning radio show on our local Christian rock station this friday morning. It should be weird. But I'm looking forward to it. I don't know what all we'll talk about, but I'll try and be ready for just about anything. Plus, it's a music intensive show so I won't have to chat THAT much. But it should be fun. The station "Christian Hit Radio- Yes FM" streams their station online also so if any of you guys are bored and want to hear me and Todd talk a little about God, sports, music and whatever else we'll be yakking about, just go to Yes FM's website and click on the listen live link. They stream 24/7 so you can go check it out anytime to see what kind of music can be heard. Mostly geared towards our youth, it's more hard rocking than say, K-LOVE... but it remains Christ centered... Todd's normal radio partner Laura is on maternity leave, so he's had different substitute co-hosts. We're on this friday morning (nov 16) from 6-9am Eastern Time... I hope not to screw up too much... but I'm going to just have fun and be a goof... I'm good at that y'know...lol...

Kiss and Tell... ME? Nah...

Got to spend some time with the gal pal this past weekend. I don't get to spend a lot of time with her so when I do get to be with her, I absolutely enjoy it. She is wonderful. A whole lot more than a guy like me deserves... But I am simply the happiest guy on the planet when we're together...

Not A Whole Lotta Love... BUT(T)!!

Not much new to update as I went to see Lou tonight but she was sound asleep when I got there. So I let her rest and didn't bother her and I left. Terri is still plugging along as best she can so no news there. I still am insanely in love with my gal pal. She really inspires me to no end... But you guys all know this already. But I wanted to update you on what's happening. Since there's nothing new for the moment, I'll share with you a very brief phone call I got this afternoon at work and did everything I could not to laugh. It about did me in, but I kept my composure...

Me: "Can I help you"

Female Caller: "yeah, I wanna know if you can help me find somebody"

Me: "Who are you looking for?"

Female Caller: "I want, you know, I want you to hook me up with a doctor who can give me an organic shot with a needle to, you know, when you want your behind to get bigger"

Me: (thinking all she needs is Dunkin Donuts) "I tell ya what, let me send you over to physician referral."

Me: "I need HELLLLP!"

HIS Faith Is Kept...

After nearly 2 months of hospitalization not knowing what was wrong...followed by more than 2 months in rehab due to the amputation of her leg. My sister Lou finally... FINALLY got to where she was able to get up and walk... yes WALK without the rails on each side of her... on her first attempt. She shocked the therapists with her ability to get up and about... on the very first try. Typical Lou. They wanted her to take a few steps so they could measure the prosthetic leg and make adjustments to it before having her get the final version of it. They figured she'd take a few steps with the aid of the rails. She kept walking back and forth up and down the hallway. Her first time walking since the beginning of June. When she finally sat down from walking, she just smiled and cried and cried. She was overwhelmed with emotion and couldn't believe how far she's come since summer. As much as I was feeling blah the other day about myself and my faith... Well this is truly a time to feel joyous and grateful to God... He really is good. He really is...

Keeping the Faith... 'Alone' from Barlow Girl

Needed to remind myself today that God is always there even when I don't always feel Him near or when I need Him to minister to me and it seems like there's no answer in sight. Sometimes He is paving the way down the road and I don't always see that... But no matter how hard life can be sometimes, I've got to remain faithful...

Letting Go Of My Ego...

Hope you're doing alright,
Me, I'm doing so much better than I was last week. My attitude is good... My sister Terri called me and told me her computer wasn't working and wanted me to go check it out. The hard drive is toast. I don't know a tremendous amount about computer repair. Just a little...I'm not much of a computer geek. But my co-hort Mike is a bit of a geek. So while Terri is ticked about her computer, I have a little surprise for her. Her birthday is in 3 weeks. She is frustrated... but I'm going to take her computer and have not only a new hard drive installed, but change the motherboard, processor, and memory on it too. Her Dell is about 4 years old and is a bare bones model. Well, when I get done with her computer, it's going to be a very souped up high caliber system...But I'll spring that on her later...hahahaha....
My day in a nutshell: I've got a girlfriend whom I love with wreckless abandon. I told her the following true story and she had a big laugh... If you ever thought I had an ego, well, this should take care of that... So, I'm walking down the hallway at work. A couple of attractive young ladies make eye contact and look me up and down and are smiling. I just smile and keep on walking towards the restroom. Before I go and do my business, I go look in the mirror, wondering 'why would they be looking at me?' I check to make sure my hair is not messed up. I'm looking over everything when suddenly I looked and said 'oh perfect Mik... what a ding-dong'... The reason? Simple. My ZIPPER was down and my shorts were showing... I could do nothing but laugh out loud and not take myself so seriously... I zipped up when I left the water closet... So when I went back out into the hallway, I sheepishly went to the cafeteria, bought an apple, and went into the corner and sat away from everyone... I don't think anyone will ever use my name and the word 'ego' in the same sentence...

Mental Notes Noted

Hey,
Y'know, sometimes it can seem weird to just go on autopilot when enduring things that don't always go your way. I've really had that presented to me this week. I had to think about some things and decide whether or not I was going to remain in a good mood despite not always having things go my way. It wasn't easy, but I thought about all the times that I talked about my faith. Well, it was put up or shut up for me this week and I had to decide if I really had a strong faith. I stewed for a little bit, but after talking with the gal pal, decided that when thinking about my family and the things they're going through, that my so called difficulties weren't even real problems. So that brought me out of a lousy mood in a hurry. I'm feeling pretty okay at the moment. Not euphoric, mind you... but pretty okay. And then just when I think about my smallness and want to have a pity party, I experience a moment like this:
"Hi, can I help you?"
caller: "uh, yeah. I have a question"
"Okay, what's the question"
caller: "How much do they pay the volunteers that work there?"
(long pause for stunned silence) "Just when I thought I was losing it... thank you for reaffirming my belief in the public."

Flint's Tones

Howdy.
Well it's Sunday and I'm in Flint, Michigan with the hockey club and we're struggling right now. In the grand scheme of things, I can honestly say 'big deal', but I love the game and the team, as it takes my mind off of things going on. Granted, things aren't too bad currently. But as with all things Mik, everything is always subject to change without notice... lol... Terri is still putting up a very brave front. She is trying to live despite the diagnosis to the contrary... she continues to keep herself busy with lots of things and still makes it over to spend time with Lou in rehab. I went by Terri's house yesterday before I left for Flint and she wasn't home, but out in front there were a couple of guys who were building a ramp for when Lou gets to come home. It looks beautiful. I guess the couple of guys were from the school that Lou used to work at and wanted to help somehow and figured that this would be the best way that they could. Can't wait till Lou sees it.
I'm going to try this week to start saying hello and leaving messages on your journals/blogs. I have been swamped and haven't had the time to leave too many messages, but please don't think for one minute that I don't care or don't at least read what's going on... I've been deliquent in my duties of keeping up to date with everyone, but I going to try when possible to leave a comment... thanks again y'all for being so understanding... Meanwhile, I've spent any free moments I've had with the gal pal and my life is so much more enriched for it. When times are tough, she's there to keep me from thinking about what's wrong and encourages me to look at what is good and right. She does all this from a wheelchair. Not that the wheelchair deserves any publicity but it just simply amazes me that she impacts lives every single day just by being herself. She has made a HUGE difference in my life. I don't deserve her, but I'm grateful to the Good Lord that she's crazy about me. She has changed my life in a way that I never thought possible. And from a male pig perspective, she's a great kisser too!!! Just thought I'd throw that in for my own benefit... Take care and I'll talk to y'all soon... Love you guys lots,
Mik

Wrong Number Wishing....

Greetings from the Glass City,
I know my entries have not been as frequent as they have been, but I appreciate your understanding. It's been a zoo as of late with lots going on but most of it could be worse. I'm feeling okay right now. My sugar has been staying where it needs to so I am very blessed to know that my meds are working. Today was a nutty day at work when I got a call from a guy who was calling the wrong hospital and wanted me to do something about the service he got at another hospital. He talked to the president of the other hospital and said he wasn't satisfied with the response he got and said it was "not in a timely manner to my satisfaction"... so he called the president of the other hospital "a joke" and wanted me to do something about it... I told him he needed to contact the other hospital and talk to their administrative reps or a patient advocate etc... and the guy didn't want to. I tried four times to explain to him that we don't have anything to do with the other hospital and tried to re-direct him. But he wouldn't listen. Finally I said "is there anything else that I can do for you?" to which he responded "you aren't helping me with what I want right now"... I wanted to pound my head against the wall. I repeated my earlier comments to him and he finally said "I wish you all the pain and suffering that I've been through"... and then he hangs up. What a dreamy sweetheart that guy was. I wanted to say something nasty, but my christianity had to go and come to the fore... so I wished him a good day and that was that... arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! There, but for the grace of God, go I...

Sweet n Low... but still lovin' it...

Just wanted to touch base and say hello... still trying to get used to life with a glucometer. I hate it. But I know what has to be done. I am feeling so much better now that I'm getting adjusted to my meds and my diet is better (but I'm still royally ticked off about having to give up my lifeline...bread and potatoes)... went and saw Terri today. To my complete amazement, she is STILL teaching. She went from chemo to the classroom. Her doc wants her to go on disability because of her prognosis. She's considering it, but her heart still believes she has things to do in this world and wants to teach still. I mentioned if she goes on disability, she can volunteer to teach and tutor etc... she's still thinking about it... Her skin is blistering all over and it's getting more difficult for her to swallow food, but she cuts everything in small pieces so she can eat. She is still driving to work everyday and has become my hero... here on earth anyway.
Some sad news... a couple of entries ago I wrote about partying at hospice and playing poker with my friend Donnie. Well, Donnie passed away and Thursday was his funeral. I went and paid my respects and saw some old friends that I haven't seen in a long time and we had a few laughs over some old times with Donnie. His son and daughter were there and were doing pretty good. They were all prepaed for this. Donnie is now reunited with his true love... his wife. He's not suffering anymore and I wish him peace and joy in Heaven. When I found out he passed, I smiled. I remember how even though he was 71, he was very young for his age and lived life to the fullest. He golfed up until 5 weeks before his death. He really enjoyed the outdoors... I'll really miss him. But I remember him with fondness... not sadness...
On a happier note... I talked with Lou on Thursday also. She is back to her old, happy, cantankerous self :) I am pleased as punch. She is still working on learning how to walk again. She'll be in rehab for quite a while yet, but she's in a better frame of mind and is working everyday in PT to get better and stronger. Her attitude is very positive. She still does little tricks to do things like have each of us bring her food from outside... Typical Lou... And on an even more positive note... the Gal Pal... I don't know where I'd be without her. She has been a rock for me. I thank God everyday for her. She has been the one I lean on to share my joy, hope, pain, frustration.... you name it... To say I love this woman doesn't do her any justice... she is beyond amazing... I am in awe of her. And it's because God blessed me with her love that my attitude remains positive, upbeat, and my faith remains entact... that's what I have to cling to right now...