June 23, 2009

I've been waiting for today since September. I'm finally off the waiting list at the Department of Rehabilitation Services and I had my appointment with my DoRS counselor, Sue C. While we didn't get as much accomplished as she wanted to, Sue and I were able to completely go through the report on the career assessment I took last fall. I will be meeting with her again in July and we will write out specific goals and a plan to set me on a path to attaining them. In the meantime, I will be contacting the community college so that I can meet with a disability coordinator and an admissions advisor. I'm really excited to get on the road to higher education after all these years.

I was enrolled in college in the winter of 1994 but only spent a week in classes before I was admitted to the hospital for "23 hours of observation." I was released twelve days later to be flown from Atlanta to Boston for emergency surgery at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachussetts. After spending another nine days in the hospital there, and by the time I returned to Chattanooga and was able to attend classes, I was too far behind to catch up. That was my college experience. This time around, I have the help of DoRS and will be working closely with a disability coordinator so that I can have extended deadlines if something happens with my health during the course of my studies. I will be sure to keep you updated as this new chapter in my life unfolds...I hope I don't bore you to death!

Following the DoRS appointment I mailed a trade (Look out, Lynn!) and then came home to relax and stitch a little. I wound up reading emails, chatting, and uploading pictures so only got a little bit done on my WIP. That's right-I have a WIP to report on, not another finish. I can't keep up that pace forever, yanno!

I pulled all the charts out of my "Favorites" drawer and spread them out across the floor around me and chose as my next project "Good to be Home" by Heart in Hand (HIH). This chart came to me kitted up as my prize for winning the January 2008 Monthly Goals drawing in StitchNSwap2. Karen included the linen and over-dyed threads with the chart and buttons. Since I'd just returned home from being in the hospital and rehab for 35 days, this was a very appropriate sentiment at the time, and still is! Now I'm finally going to stitch it!

I've also decided that I'm going to flip between two larger projects once IGTBH is done. First, I have Mom's sampler "Heart of America," a limited release by Little House Needleworks (LHN). She saw the model in the shop at the retreat and fell in love. She's asked me to stitch it and give it to her for Christmas, so I have a deadline (OMG!). Second is Patriotic Wishes I & II. These are shown as twelve individual pillow ornaments, but I will be doing them on one piece of fabric, in four rows of three.

I have a story for you. And before I even begin, Yes! I know I'm going to Hell for laughing until I cried, but I just couldn't stop myself. If it makes it any better, Mom laughed just as hard.

So here it is: Sarah sent me an instant message on the computer this evening telling me how she was getting ready to pull her hair out. It went something like, "Anna woke up before me this morning and didn't wake me up like she usually does. Instead of getting one of her snacks, she ate the cookies we made for Tyler on Sunday. She had crumbs all over the couch, loveseat, livingroom floor, her bed, her bedroom floor....everywhere!

Now Caleb is crying and whining about everything Anna does. Anna is crying and whining about everything Caleb does. And Caleb is walking around the apartment saying 'God damnit.' They're being absolutely ridiculous today!"

Jameson Caleb turned two in March. The mental picture and hearing that little voice in my head saying "Ga dimit" was just too freakin' funny! Lord, please forgive me!

I called Sarah about something else and heard her ask Anna to go play in her room for a little while because she was doing homework. Anna started bawling and said that she didn't want to play in her room. I asked Sarah if it would help if I picked up Anna and did something with her for a little while, because Caleb was happily playing by himself in his bedroom. As the words were coming out of my mouth, I was mentally going through a list of things I have here at the house that Anna would like to do. By the time I picked her up and brought her back here I had a plan.

The plan was to spread an old sheet out on the livingroom floor (the clean half) and give her stickers, coloring books, twist-up crayons (so she can't break them), and to put a Disney movie in the DVD player. I also set out my double-twelve dominoe set for her to build stuff with. She chose to watch Cinderella because Aunt Beth didn't have her favorite, Ariel. She took all the other "kids' movies" and spread them out on her sheet in front of her. When she asked for some of my tea, I gave her a cup with a lid, but I was nervous about her tipping it over because the lid didn't seal. So I took a box and flipped it over; it became Anna's impromptu table. She also put her plate of chicken on it when she ate her dinner.

Once Cinderella got started, though, there was nothing else for Anna Lynn. She was completely engrossed in the movie, as she usually is.

We went for a walk with Kasey around 8:00pm and Anna asked if she could play in the playground. I live next door to a private nursery school and kindergarten so the playground is always a big hit with the little ones. We went in and Anna played with the sand digger and then swung on one of the swings while I pushed her.

When she got down, she walked over to Kasey to pet her. She asked, "what's those?" pointing to the swarm of mosquitoes on and around Kasey's head. When I realized how bad they were, I told her we had to leave. Anna and I both were bitten several times on the way back up to the house. We will not be going back to the playground until things dry out more. The mosquitoes are AWFUL around here right now!

I put Lady and the Tramp in the DVD player for Anna when we got back home and she sat on her blanket to watch it. Sarah arrived shortly after it began. Of course Anna wanted to stay to watch the movie but she stopped protesting when I told her she could come back and watch it another time. I was very proud of how well she behaved herself. Mr. Chet, who has a strong dislike of small children, even deigned to let Anna touch him. I was shocked!

On the way from Sarah's to my house, I'd told Anna that I had some stickers for her. I asked her if she knew where stickers went and she said, "yes."

"So where are you going to put them, Anna?" I asked.

"On my doorhead," she said.

That made me chuckle. "On your forehead?" I said.

"Yes!" was the reply. And she did! I was also sticker-fied on my forearm and the back of my hand. I'm thankful that she didn't think to try putting any on Kasey and/or Chet! Kasey was Anna's pillow for a little while. She loves the attention.

That was our excitement for the day. I read email and did some other online stuff after Anna left. I stitched a little, too, but as you can see from the picture, I didn't get much done.