Busyness is good when it's productive. Today was such a day. Megan spoke at a luncheon in Yukon, OK, sponsored by the Integris Health System. Integris is promoting their TeleStroke system which is helping save lives in ER rooms around Oklahoma and helping stroke survivors have fewer physical limitations as they recover more quickly from the initial incident by providing outlying hospital personnel with real-time support via electronics.
Megan's story was well-received, as always, and people had lots of questions for her. Her 12,000-mile, 8-month solo bike ride around American in 2006 is the stuff of both fascination and legend. Megan definitely sold enough books today and again this evening at a small stroke support group meeting to justify our time here in Oklahoma City. Beyond the book sales, however, is the larger mission of sharing our stories with people who have walked the same path or are walking it right now - some painfully and angrily.
I have an interesting story to tell tomorrow night - I'm TOO tired now! - about two small towns Megan and I explored when we jumped off I-40 yesterday. Also need my camera to show you some photos taken in one but it's downstairs in the car and I'm NOT putting my jeans and shoes back on now.
So, manana!
NL
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
NEXT STOP - OKLAHOMA CITY!
We are in OK City. I think. I hesitate to say for sure because once we got to the general metro area and my Garmin started routing us to our hotel, Megan and I both thought we'd end up in Dallas, as that's what all the freeways Garmin was sending us onto said. But, I'm pretty sure it's still somewhere near OK City - near the airport, that is. I'm told our trip in the morning BACK to the westside where Megan's gig is taking place should only take us about 30 minutes. That's a run down the Hill to Hemet, right?
Getting Megan's stuff loaded for the run from Amarillo to here was interesting. I knew we'd have to ship some boxes of books on to my brother in Clinton, IA, but I wasn't anticipating how many boxes. So, she and I have added yet another layer of cost to this already expensive trip. I sure hope both of us sell a few books. She's already sold a decent number while in Texas - (thank YOU, Kathryn and Melinda, and friends!) - but with these UPS costs to figure in, Iowa and Nebraska better be "barn-burners" or we're coming home poorer than we left, and that's not a good thing when you're planning on making two bucks.
So, now, I need to create a couple promotional flyers for people helping us with PR. Wash my dirty, sweaty face, read a few pages of my current "recreational reading" book, and shut my eyes till morning. We're here, actually, for two nights and tomorrow should be a bit earlier getting back in, so I'll try for something more interesting then.
Night for now!
NL
Getting Megan's stuff loaded for the run from Amarillo to here was interesting. I knew we'd have to ship some boxes of books on to my brother in Clinton, IA, but I wasn't anticipating how many boxes. So, she and I have added yet another layer of cost to this already expensive trip. I sure hope both of us sell a few books. She's already sold a decent number while in Texas - (thank YOU, Kathryn and Melinda, and friends!) - but with these UPS costs to figure in, Iowa and Nebraska better be "barn-burners" or we're coming home poorer than we left, and that's not a good thing when you're planning on making two bucks.
So, now, I need to create a couple promotional flyers for people helping us with PR. Wash my dirty, sweaty face, read a few pages of my current "recreational reading" book, and shut my eyes till morning. We're here, actually, for two nights and tomorrow should be a bit earlier getting back in, so I'll try for something more interesting then.
Night for now!
NL
Sunday, June 6, 2010
A VERY SHORT NOTE
Left Idyllwild at 6:00 AM. Arrived at my hotel in Alburquerque at 9:30 PM (New Mexico time), which made for a VERY long driving day. Lots of water drunk, so lots of short stops, which is all good, except for the amount of time that always adds.
And, lots of construction on the freeways, so lots of slow-downs. Fortunately only one accident and they had traffic re-routed up and over the exit / on-ramps so it was pretty fast moving through that kaffufel. And, it was mess on the freeway. A pickup truck rolled carrying a big load of what looked like construction demolition material - at least that's what the stuff spread over all four lanes of the freeway looked like as I scooted past. Didn't look like any other vehicles were involved, but it was a major mess.
So, on to Amarillo tomorrow.
Will report in from Oklahoma City tomorrow night. Goodnight, nurse!
NL
And, lots of construction on the freeways, so lots of slow-downs. Fortunately only one accident and they had traffic re-routed up and over the exit / on-ramps so it was pretty fast moving through that kaffufel. And, it was mess on the freeway. A pickup truck rolled carrying a big load of what looked like construction demolition material - at least that's what the stuff spread over all four lanes of the freeway looked like as I scooted past. Didn't look like any other vehicles were involved, but it was a major mess.
So, on to Amarillo tomorrow.
Will report in from Oklahoma City tomorrow night. Goodnight, nurse!
NL
Saturday, June 5, 2010
No photos, sorry!
It's coming up on 11:00 PM, Saturday. I'm exhausted. Had a GREAT day today, starting with finishing up the few little garden projects I was "stressing" about leaving undone.
Family and friends began arriving for my birthday party around noon, as requested, and from that point, I totally relaxed and just enjoyed the day. It is not every day you survive two rounds of life-threatening illness and feel the joy of reaching 60. That's 6-0! Yes, yes, I know, many of you reading this are saying, "Gee, I remember 60!"
See, the thing is, I used to look at 60 and think, "That just sounds OLD!" But now I'm here, it ain't. It isn't. It's just a number that is truly meaningless. It's how you got to 60, how many carcasses of relationships are strewn behind you and, then, how many times a day you're still able to laugh - deep, real, belly-laughs. That's what has meaning. And, oh, yes, how many good, strong, loving, caring relationships you have now - that's the other part.
I believe that we live our lives essentially alone, within our own skin. We cannot live for another person, nor they for us. But living alongside someone who adds dimensions to your life that wouldn't exist if not for that person - that's the good stuff. If you have it, you know exactly what I'm saying. If you don't, that's okay, too. Really. Because, you're still you, still living inside your own skin and no one can take that away from you unless you choose to give it away.
So, to each person who came by our little house on Fir Street and wished me "Happy Birthday!", for every nice (and, Marshall, naughty!) card, for the awesome cake my daughter, Laura, made of which not a crumb was left when the last guest departed, for the gorgeous bird bath that found its perfect place in my front garden (gift from Daughter Sara, hubby, and two little granddaughters, Emma and Hannah), for Rick and Danny who sweated along with me from 8:00 to noon, getting those last few garden projects finished, for my loving husband of 30-some years who right this moment is in the house snoring in his LaZyBoy chair waiting for me to come back in and drag him off to bed, for my cat Nacho who took seriously his responsibility to greet nearly every guest as they arrived today until exhaustion drove him to find a sleeping spot - THANK YOU!
To my young-adult grandchildren, Jessica, Matthew, and Krista and to GREAT-grandbaby Jake who stole the show, and to Emma who made me my purple birthday "crown" and to Hannah who picked Mountain Marigolds for me - I love you more than words can say. You are the icing on the cake of my life. And, for me, the icing is the best part. Yeah. If I'd known being a grandma was going to be so much fun, I'd have skipped the mother part and just gone right to "grand".
Today was perfect! Thank you, God!
(You're welcome, Nancy.)
More from Albuquerque tomorrow night.
NL
Family and friends began arriving for my birthday party around noon, as requested, and from that point, I totally relaxed and just enjoyed the day. It is not every day you survive two rounds of life-threatening illness and feel the joy of reaching 60. That's 6-0! Yes, yes, I know, many of you reading this are saying, "Gee, I remember 60!"
See, the thing is, I used to look at 60 and think, "That just sounds OLD!" But now I'm here, it ain't. It isn't. It's just a number that is truly meaningless. It's how you got to 60, how many carcasses of relationships are strewn behind you and, then, how many times a day you're still able to laugh - deep, real, belly-laughs. That's what has meaning. And, oh, yes, how many good, strong, loving, caring relationships you have now - that's the other part.
I believe that we live our lives essentially alone, within our own skin. We cannot live for another person, nor they for us. But living alongside someone who adds dimensions to your life that wouldn't exist if not for that person - that's the good stuff. If you have it, you know exactly what I'm saying. If you don't, that's okay, too. Really. Because, you're still you, still living inside your own skin and no one can take that away from you unless you choose to give it away.
So, to each person who came by our little house on Fir Street and wished me "Happy Birthday!", for every nice (and, Marshall, naughty!) card, for the awesome cake my daughter, Laura, made of which not a crumb was left when the last guest departed, for the gorgeous bird bath that found its perfect place in my front garden (gift from Daughter Sara, hubby, and two little granddaughters, Emma and Hannah), for Rick and Danny who sweated along with me from 8:00 to noon, getting those last few garden projects finished, for my loving husband of 30-some years who right this moment is in the house snoring in his LaZyBoy chair waiting for me to come back in and drag him off to bed, for my cat Nacho who took seriously his responsibility to greet nearly every guest as they arrived today until exhaustion drove him to find a sleeping spot - THANK YOU!
To my young-adult grandchildren, Jessica, Matthew, and Krista and to GREAT-grandbaby Jake who stole the show, and to Emma who made me my purple birthday "crown" and to Hannah who picked Mountain Marigolds for me - I love you more than words can say. You are the icing on the cake of my life. And, for me, the icing is the best part. Yeah. If I'd known being a grandma was going to be so much fun, I'd have skipped the mother part and just gone right to "grand".
Today was perfect! Thank you, God!
(You're welcome, Nancy.)
More from Albuquerque tomorrow night.
NL
Friday, June 4, 2010
LAUNCH TIME APPROACHES!
Spent most of today getting things packed, organized, and ready to go.
Put a few seeds into the vegetable garden.
Took care of some bookkeeping and office straightening.
Transferred files from my office computer to my laptop.
Shipped some books ordered by one of our event coordinators - Megan will be happy about this when I tell her.
Sent out email invitations for my birthday party tomorrow. (Take a look at my birthday cake on Laura's Facebook Album - search for Laura Slattery.)
Party starts around noon-ish. We're expecting our grandson, Matt, and Krista and GREAT-grandbaby, Jacob Matthew. THAT will be fun! And Daughter-the-Younger, Sara, son-in-law, Brad, and little granddaughters, Emma Rose and Hannah Noel from Riverside. Granddaughter Jessie may make it, depending on her work schedule.
So, every local friend who stops by for a bite of cake (and a glass of wine) will get to see the people in my family who make my life real. Who keep me honest and true to who I really am. And who yank my chain when yanking is called for.
A photo or two from the party tomorrow night, then I take off Sunday morning.
'Nuff for now!
NL
Thursday, June 3, 2010
We're off! (Well, not quite yet.)
Okay, here's the deal. Megan Timothy (on left in yellow) and I are taking off for parts at least partially known to talk with people about brain injury / stroke / aphasia (that's Megan's gig) and living with cancer (my gig) - and to sell a few books along the way. One may ask why we're doing such a thing. My daughter-the-younger has asked this and challenged my sanity for the doing. She's not wrong for being concerned, but wrong for me. For what my life stands for.
The thing is, I've never lived my life within normal boundaries. I don't even know what "normal" means. I adjust as things come my way - good, bad, and sometimes downright ugly. More good than bad, I'd say. Well, until you get to about a year ago when things began to look fairly ugly.
That's when I came down with Shingles (for the second time in two years!) on top of my chemo treatments for Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia (rare bone marrow cancer that I've had in my body since 1999) that were already pretty much kicking my butt. Megan was here ostensively to work with me in editing her second book. She actually ended up being one of my primary caregivers, and was able to keep a close eye on me, keepin me fed and hydrated so Rick, my husband of 30-some years, could attend to his life outside our home. Don't know how I'd have waded through the worst of it without the two of them watching over me. Don't know how people who live alone do it - which is something I talk about when I meet with cancer support groups as part of my larger mission in my book promotions.
So, this Sunday, I take off at the butt-crack of dawn, heading for Amarillo where I'll pick up Megan, who's been in Texas on the first leg of her part of this book tour she and I are aiming at. Amarillo - I've heard that you turn left at the smell and stop when you step in it. Somebody local gave me that piece of navagational advice. Sorry, Amarillians - I didn't make it up, just reporting it.
From Amarillo, we head to beautiful Yukon, Oklahoma, then Oklahoma City, then Tulsa, then Kansas City, then...
Tomorrow I'll give you a peek at my traveling book-tour vehicle. Could use a van or a Mack truck, maybe, but my Toyota Corolla (yes, I've had all the requisite things fixed!) will have to do. She's nearly packed and my new laptop, Tosh, (short for Toshiba) is nearly ready with transferred files and setups and my crate of cd's (no, I do NOT have an MP3 player - yet!) is ready to get me down the road - oh, and a bag of Cheetos and lots of water.
So for now, that's the news not quite from the road yet.
NL
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)