Month: April 2009

I am suffering from an acute case of stay-at-homeitis followed by the what-did-I-do-today flu.

Perhaps it’s a lack of focus, perhaps it’s the weather…maybe I need a hobby.

I have too many hobbies; perhaps that’s part of the problem.

When I was ‘working’, I had a project or several projects that I was seeing to completion. Someone would come up to me and ask what I was working on and I had action items, lists, agendas, meetings, conference calls….all intended to complete this project.

Focus.

And I had cute little shoes, a matching handbag and a lunch date.

My action items were never interrupted with a never-ending pile of laundry, dust bunnies and a gaggy, cranky two-year old or even more distracting, a cuddly, warm, smiling, adorable two-year old; this turns the action items into more of a wish list.

This does ensure job security.

Which is a nice thing in this economy. But my lack of accountability has left me wandering….searching for my focus….perhaps it’s under the couch….with my dust bunnies.

I used to think you would drive along, stop off somewhere…have some coffee…talk to the locals…move on…and that was it…onto the next exit. That was your life; moving forward…

Life is a highway…I wanna ride it all night long Go Rascal Flats…seriously cheeeeeeesssssssyyyyyy….but it’s my new mantra.

Why Heather WHY?

I’ll tell ya why….last year I got a little weepy around the Epilepsy Walk and it’s happening again.

We have earned $1,200.00.

That’s a lot of money.

From people from ALL over the world; from my family, from my friends, from people all over the world…making donations in a cyber cafe in Cambodia (Ryan, that was TOTALLY for you!) people I knew in high school, people I knew in Garmisch.

I have realized that these people you meet along the way, in your road of life, never leave and that is a good, good thing. ‘Cause I’m cruising along…in my station wagon…wishing it was a turbo, convertible without a car seat….(ok, just sometimes)

But it’s not.

And just when I start to wonder about this road I’m on, there you are. You pull up beside me, wave and honk your horn and it doesn’t matter if I talked to you yesterday or ten years ago because suddenly we are the same path.

If only briefly.

And I am grateful.

So grateful I wonder how many batches of chocolate chip cookies I can make.

But it doesn’t matter. I LOVE that you have joined this road for a little bit.

Cause if you’re goin’ my way, I wanna drive it all night long.

Rascal Flats baby.

Love you all.

We are so PROUD to be walking in Denver’s Strides for Epilepsy on Sunday. Our team is the Sammer Hammer…..Pounding out a Cure for Epilepsy…and so far our lovely team members have raised $800.00 in Samantha’s name.

WWWWhhhooooppppeeeee!!!!

Why is this important?

Newsweek just published an article on Epilepsy with sobering, scary information about this misunderstood and under-funded disease. You can access it at http://www.newsweek.com/id/193586/page/1

Here are some quick facts:

– Epilepsy in America is just as common as breast cancer and takes as many lives
– More than 3 million Americans are affected by it—more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease combined
– Public and private funding for research lag far behind other neurological afflictions, at $35 a patient (compared, for instance, with $129 for Alzheimer’s and $280 for multiple sclerosis)

While epilepsy has gained more attention due to Sen. Edward Kennedy and Sr. Advisor David Axelrod (his 27 year old daughter has seizures). We still have a long way to go and research is truly the key to finding a cure.

So join us this Sunday, April 19th to walk, run, stroll for epilepsy and for a life….for some many….without seizures.

If you would like to join the Sammer Hammer, you can sign up at

http://events.epilepsycolorado.org/index.php?s=44&group_id

See you Sunday!

We were discharged on Friday!

And without a PIC line!

While waiting for the PIC, Infectious Disease played around with other antibiotics and found a med that Samantha could take orally. We could go home. We could go home without a PIC line. What could be better?

Perhaps a weekend in Vail.

Yep. We packed up out of the hospital, drove home, packed up the car and drove to Vail for the weekend. We already had plans to be in Vail but the million dollar pic-line question was could we make those Vail plans happen?

Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

I packed like a banshee. I threw meds from one bag into another, made sure we had enough oxygen for Samantha, slammed a cup of coffee and tossed the skis in the car.

We were off.

Was this the doctor’s idea of a relaxing weekend at home? Maybe not. But Samantha didn’t care where she was as long as it wasn’t the hospital and someone could cuddle with her at her demand. We spent the weekend with Pops and Nonnie who were happy to cuddle, coo and snuggle with our little patient. As a result, a relaxed Samantha did something she didn’t do the whole week at the hospital.

Samantha slept…and slept….and slept.

And Mama did something she didn’t do the whole week at the hospital.

Mama took in the fresh scent of pine trees, shoosed in the spring snow, howled at at the blue sky and yes….Mama slept too.

This protocol should be mandatory for all discharge instructions.

Happy Easter.