Dreams

Pearls and Dreams

A few years ago ... I picked up pen and paper and started to write again ... at the encouragement of some friends ...mostly, internet friends. I'd forgotten what it felt like to let the pen flow on the paper and let my feelings ..emotions and ... even let my intelligence show onto paper.

I'd always wanted to write. I wrote my very first poem the summer before 2nd grade ... and it was published in the Mariposa Gazette ... "The Fair is fun, the little kids run, having hot dogs in the sun ..." I wish I could remember the rest of it. That was the first stanza ...

I never forgot the feeling of seeing my name in print for the whole town to see.

I would write in class when I was supposed to be doing math ... that was OK because ... I'd just write more stories.

The only thing that I never learned ... was to not use the three dots ... ... ... I imagine english teacher's find them very annoying. Sorry. I know better, just imagine me holding my breath when you see one. (Seriously, ask Wanda about talking to me on the phone ... Peggi? You there?)

I wrote and I wrote and I wrote as much as I could. In 7th grade, I was assigned a short story. It was 37 pages long. I got a D. Mrs. Warkentine said 37 pages was not short. She did let me re write it for a real grade though, and said the 37 page story was A work, I just hadn't followed directions on the SHORT part and she wanted to make a point. It did, sort of.

I still remember the 37 page story. I wish I'd saved it. It was a science fiction story about a car in the future called a "Bubblewhack Coupe"
Oddly enough ... I'm starting to see similar cars on the market.

I wrote all through junior high, high school and into early adulthood.

Then something happened ..and I put my pen down. A series of things actually.

August 18,1988 I was almost 20 weeks pregnant with a little girl. August 19, 1988, I was not.

My heart shattered and my writing became stilted and only was used for college assignments.

October 13, 1989 I went into the hospital to have Samuel ... Two weeks overdue, perfectly healthy: working 40 hours a week as a waitress; walking 5 miles a day and going to school full time as a deaf education major.

October 14, 1989, Samuel was born. And well ... life turned on a dime. My eyes felt 'weird'. Later that night my mom went to take our first family picture. My smile 'wouldn't work'
By Thanksgiving ... I could not brush my hair without propping my arms on the wall and could not walk up and down stairs without assistance. "Exhaution"

October 30,1989, 17 years ago today, I called the doctor. My precious little boy was running a fever. I didn't know that newborns weren't supposed to run fevers. They told me to get him to the hospital.

He had pneumonia and strep throat. It was the first of 5 hospitalizations with pneumonia in his first year of life.

At 11 months old, they would tell me, that he, like a cousin of mine, was immune deficient.

Asthma, repeated illnesses, hospitalizations and my own health ... it was craziness.

My pen and paper went into a cabinet. The pen rested ..the words too painful to put to paper. A crying baby in my arms, unable to tell me what hurts and my arms too weak to hold him another minute and no one able to tell me why.

I never wanted to write again.

It got worse before it got better. I became sicker than I could have imagined. Unable to feed or bathe myself ... Benjamin far sicker than his brother even dreamed of being ... I wasn't diagnosed till Benjamin was 2 months old and Samuel was 2 and a half years old.

Benjamin's first year of life was 7 hospitalizations ... MRI's because of craniosynostosis, learning of brain malformations and seizures and other things that caused him to stop breathing. Being made to learn infant CPR before he was discharged from the hospital when he was 3 months old ... something I still have nightmares about, but don't talk about. (just 3 weeks after I'd been diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis)

Years went by ...and more diagnosis' came ... and we got the internet ... I sought out internet support ... and while it wasn't pen on paper ...

I started to use words again .. in written form ...

and realized ... I had things to say.

I wanted to write.

The words wouldn't stay quiet ...and the pen demanded to be picked up again.

I was afraid, but, I had encouragment.

I sat down with the goal of writing a book and I completed that goal.

Tomorrow ... I send in the proof corrections for that book. A childhood dream ... a pen on paper ... moving across the page.

It's been 17 years today since I set down my pen.

I didn't think I could ever pick it back up again because the pain was too great ... I think, to put it back down again, would be the greater pain.

Pearls and Dreams

Pearls and Dreams

I would like to introduce you to a friend ... she has a great name ... Peggy ...(note, spelling is different)we actually call her Peg, but ...it is Peggy.

Kansas Konversation

Peg has a new blog ..and has some cool pictures of her digging for salt crystals. I don't know, that sounds like a blast to me.

Peg and I have been friends for more years than I can count ... wait ... Benjamin was in kindergarten ..he's now in the 8th grade ... so ... we met on line through an email group and have stayed in touch. The beautiful beautiful flowers on my flickr and in any of my posts ...come from her garden. Peg has a green green thumb (hand, elbow ...). She is also quite talented at knitting ... so hopefully she'll blog about that too.

She's an animal lover, like me ...and has 2 GREAT kids. One of them is married. I'll let her talk about her kids though.

I got to meet Peg, her daughter and another friend of Peg's and mine a few years ago, when we went down to Texas for a weekend. Peg, is not an axe murder ... regardless of what my husband thought at first.

Go check out her blog ... oh ...and when my book comes out, you'll see in the dedication something about my friends on the Pink Bus ... Peg's one of those friends on the Pink Bus.

House warming

Pearls and Dreams

A couple of emails off blog have requested for information of where we're registered for the housewarming party. Easy breezy ...

Target ... Club Wedd .... Peggikaye and Donald Eagler ...event in Oklahoma November 18

Pk's Registry

Mailing address is 616 S. Cedar Ave.
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
74012

But it won't be that until the 12th.

Before the 12, anything shipped should probably come to either my address here
4214 S. 103rd E. Ave
Tulsa Ok 74146

Or my church ... I'll edit this to get my churches address tomorrow.

Home Sweet Home

Pearls and Dreams

Back to the REAL WORLD

Pearls and Dreams

*grin*

Something seriously wrong with that thinking, only a real blog a holic would think on those terms.

I am back to the blog world. Home where I belong.

I will try to catch up sometime today or tomorrow, there will be massive fighting over the computer in the household.

In the meantime, if you go to my flickr, you can see the pictures my nephew took for our housewarming invitation!

We finish the house on November the 4th. We're taking a break tomorrow (which, will give me more of a chance to catch you up) and then we dedicate on the 12th (at 3 PM .... HINT HINT HINT TJ ....)

Wolfbaby, my yahoo is downloading as I type, I should be back to IM capabilities in about an hour (stupid modem) ...

I can't wait to catch up with everyone!!!

Next on my agenda ... visiting blogs!!!

I'm Still Alive

I'm not back, but I am still with the living, although computerless.

Our computer problems ARE under warrentee ...and after several tech calls and struggles ...they sent us a 'box' which arrived yesterday. Hubby and son packed up computer and sent it off to manufacturer ... they will fix ... and send back to us ... 3 shipping days ... 7 to 10 days for repair and then 3 shipping days to return. Ugh. At least there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you all for still checking with me. It is sooo nice to be missed!

Cathy, I do hope you're having fun this weekend!!!

Tj, your messages have made me smile and laugh outloud in the library!

The house, is almost done. It is SOOO Beautiful!!! Wanda and I just came from there while Don and Samuel are working on laying the flooring. The ceiling fans and light fixtures and dishwasher were put in on Monday. GEORGEOUS!!!!!

We lay sod, put up privacy fence this weekend. We will be done this weekend or the following weekend. We are literally at the end ... just detailing at this point!

I need to get. I'm wearing poor Wanda to the bone. She's running me around so that Don can do the floors today. I'm here at the library to take care of some details on my book .... which is moving so fast I can't hardly believe it!

I miss you all so much!!!

whoops

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news ...but our computer has decided it needs a vacation and gone caput!

It is still under warrenty ...however, we have to ship it to the manufacturer!!

So, I will be out of commission except for occassional library email checks.

Those of you who know how to reach me by phone and email ...please do so. :D

I will miss you all. MUCHLY!!!

Oh, and the house ..we got the siding up on Saturday, and we start to paint on this saturday! Pictures will come as soon as I have computer capability!!!