A Little Something For Us All

This is a sponsored post brought to you by PeachSuite Hotel Supply

The content and opinions are 100% mine.

I love when I find a source for something I’ve wanted for a long time. I don’t have a hair dryer. I’d love to have one, but I’ve long said that when I can find a hair dryer as good as the ones they have in hotels I’ll buy one but not until then. PeachSuite Hotel Supply is an Atlanta Hotel Supply company that offers many hotel supplies, including hotel-quality hair dryers!

Finding a Hotel Supply Online site does not mean someplace I have to buy a gross of items to have one, although I could buy a gross of items. It’s an excellent source for your small business, be it a Mom and Pop Hotel, a restaurant or catering business out of your home. It’s also a great source for buying a smaller amount, even just one for personal use. I checked the FAQs and you can buy anything on the site for home use with a few exceptions that are really not made for the non-commercial electric system. But really who needs a popcorn machine that makes 360 servings in their house? (No, not even me!)

But I did find I liked the Hotel Bar Supplies section! Bar stools, commercial grade bar stools and very good prices. I’ve mentioned wanting a higher nice wood stool for my kitchen, but there are also other really nice bar stools available. If you’re looking for two or three for the breakfast bar in your kitchen or around the pool table in your home game room, give PeachSuite a look! You’ll also find glasses and other bar goodies that you can buy in just the quantity you need for summer parties or just entertaining on a smaller scale at home.

If you have a small business that wants the stuff to “run with the big dogs” PeachSuite Hotel Supply has a seemingly endless selection of professional items. If you’ve ever thought there was an item in a hotel that you’d like for home; maybe you have loved hotel hair dryers like me, a spa bathrobe or the little coffee maker for a college dorm, you have to check out PeachSuite. They have something for everyone!

#CoronaRita for the Señoritas?

This post brought to you by Chili’s Grill & Bar. All opinions are 100% mine.

…Or us señoras and our señors!  Cinco de Mayo is on Saturday this year.  By Nani rules that makes it a 2-week celebration!  That has to include a trip to Chili’s!  The featured adult beverage, the CoronaRita at Chili's combines a margarita, made with Jose Quervo Especial tequila, with the classic flavor of Corona for a taste that says “Arriba!  Let’s party!”

I love Chili's for their lighter fare items that taste every bit as good as the rest of the menu.  Scotty and I stopped there for our Wednesday dinners quite of then when I was n Michigan.  It’s a wonderful place now to get together with the old gang and just celebrate us!  We’re planning a lunch for Scotty this month because just a couple days after Cinco de Mayo is…Cincuenta de Scott.  Definitely a reason to gather to celebrate and Chili’s has that sentimental value too.

I definitely want to try the Sweet and Spicy Chicken!  It’s made with a habanero and orange glaze with onions and peppers.  My mouth is watering writing about it.  And ooh! Soup-a-holic me is in love with the idea of trying the Southwest Chicken and Sausage soup made with chicken and sausage with chunky veggies and topped with tortilla strips.  Just a cup though, it sounds like a hearty soup!   David doesn’t like things as spicy as I do, so I don’t see him joining me for anything with a habanero sauce, but I can totally see him trying the new 10-ounce Classic Sirloin steak with veggies and loaded mashed potatoes.  He’d probably start with the also classic Chili’s chili.

Of course we’d have to kick off that birthday dinner with fabulous Chili’s appetizers to complement those CoronaRita at Chili's!  When it’s a larger group, we usually go for a couple of the Triple Dippers to have a nice variety.  I love the Spinach and Artichoke Dip and The Boneless Buffalo Wings but right now and for a limited time, they have Cheesesteak Sliders. I know those will be in the order!

There is so much to love at Chili’s and now even more new menu items.  What about you?  What would you go out to Chili’s, to celebrate?   What do you find the most tempting there?  I’d love to know!  Maybe there’s something else I need to try!  Would you like to try the CoronaRita at Chili's?

“You must be 21 years or older to drink alcoholic beverages and as always, please remember to drink responsibly”

The Veggie Best

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Let me tell you about my Dad and produce.  I’ve said before that Pop always dreamt of owning a fruit stand when he retired.  After years and years of owning a construction business, he retired from all the paperwork too.  Now he works in the produce department and gardens at home.  He’ll be the first to tell you that the stuff he grows is better; tastes better and is better for you.  Dad gardens organic.  Whitney Farms® knows that organic is just that way; the BEST way.

Great organic vegetables and fruit begin with great organic soil Whitney Farms has helped make quality organic soil for over 25 years with organic plant food that enriches the soil.  Their products have been improved to have low dust to no dust at all and they're easy to apply protein-based blends provide microbes and nutrients so they grow and thrive and there’s no manure smell!

Try Whitney Farms® plant food today.  There is a $3 coupon just a click away.  You decide if you want the waxy chemical-enriched vegetables at the store or if you want to really experience the very best tasting veggies picked in your own back yard.  Try Whitney Farms organic tomato and vegetable food today and taste the difference all summer long.

If I was putting a small garden in our backyard, it might start out something like this.  I'd likely either put benches down the center and edges so I can sit to tend to it or use some plywood to make a path for the wheelchair so I could use it.  What fun would there be in "having" a garden if David did all the work?  I'd have a wagon for garden tools and my organic plant food that I could roll it on the path too.  I'd have tomatoes and cucumbers and you know I'd have carrots!

Talk to that nice retired guy working in the produce department and he’ll set you up with good veggies and fruits, but ask him after work if he gardens; then he can tell you how to get great fruits and veggies!  Whitney Farms® brings you one step closer to great.

Crafty Inspiration

What wonderful things have you made with glass jars and bottles?  I know I've made party favors and gifts, even vignettes for decorating.  I checked out Sunburst Bottle on the web and just the front page gave me some ideas and a sweet memory of crafting as a kid.

This is easy and a great project to do with kids. (Think about a rainy day in the summer!) Make a “leather” bottle! Using masking tape, brown shoe polish and glass bottles you can make a very nice decorative piece. Simply tear small pieces of masking tape and put them on the glass bottle in a patchwork way until the bottle is covered. Then stain them with the shoe polish and let it dry – faux leather bottle, simple and fun!

image from web

Take a look at the linked site. What’s the first crafty idea that comes to your mind?

Trusted Provider

Posted by Gaylord Campbell

I am always surprised by how many people who own their own business don’t put any thought in to their service providers. Many of the fellow business owners who I know simply sign up for the first company they find that can offer a service they need, and then end up being disappointed in the level of service they receive. It seems like kind of a no-brainer to me—you put some research in on the front end and you get a partner who providers stellar service and is dependable. One particular partner I’ve been impressed with is my phone and internet provider. After doing a lot of research on T1 Long Island, I chose a company I felt confident would provide me both speed and reliability for my internet and phone, and I am so happy with my decision. I obviously have a lot of responsibilities, and I don’t need to worry about things like whether or not my phones are going to be clear, or whether my internet service will work when I need it to. Save yourself some frustration and do your research in the beginning!

Good Dirt

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The opportunity to talk about Miracle-Gro Expand ‘n Gro™ is really very exciting to me!  After all my griping about the weather and my dissatisfaction with my flowers this year I need some hope!  Expand ‘n Gro is the hope I’m looking for!
Expand ‘n Gro is a concentrated planting mix.  It’s just add water dirt!  I don’t mean mud, I mean gradually add equal parts water to the concentrated mix and it becomes a full pot of soil for planting.  Add an inch of Expand ‘n Gro to your garden and mix it in to the native soil and it becomes lighter and more fertile.  Plants can grow up to three times their size with Expand ‘n Gro compared to the size potential with native soil alone.

Before you become too skeptical, it’s science not flashy promotion that holds the promise of better soil with Miracle-Gro Expand ‘n Gro™.  Expand ‘n Gro is a unique blend of plant food and coconut coir fiber extracted from the coconut husk.  The coir expands with water and keeps 50% more water closer to your plants.  Additionally, coir is free of bacteria and has a helpful fungus that protects plants from damaging fungi.  The plant food feeds the soil for up to six months and the mix improves the soil for year.  Science says this stuff works and I’m excited to try it.

Where to use it first??  I’d definitely like to add it to my flower beds.  Scotty is going to give me a hand putting in some summer blooming plants this year, so when we put those in might be a good time to introduce some Expand ‘n Gro to the mix.  I think I’m also going to do that potted tomato plant that I’ve wanted this year. Medical issues behind me and a new soil product I’m dying to try seem like a promising start to fabulous salads this summer!

Expand ‘n Gro is easy to use and what a great idea for all of our summer gardens in the US part of the blog world!  I’m definitely going to try Miracle-Gro Expand ‘n Gro and I’ll update as there is news.  Try it out – What will be the first thing you plant?

Internet is a must have for a small biz

Thanks to Lemuel Craft

When I think about how new the internet is it kind of freaks me out just a little bit. I can remember back when I was a kid my family had an IBM PS1 computer at the desk in our kitchen. Windows wasn’t even a huge thing back then and if you wanted to run a program there was always a c:/ involved. We had something on the computer called Prodigy, which was a very early version of the internet. Then of course came America Online, which revolutionized how Americans used the internet. Now days everyone has internet with the at all times on their smart phones. When you think back to the days before having access to the internet it is hard to imagine how we did anything. How did we get directions to somewhere we had never been? How did we keep track of credit transactions at our businesses? How did we look up the greatest restaurant in the area? Now no business can survive without the internet. If you are a small business owner in the market for T1 connection check out t1.xo.com.

Can You Use Some Help?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I could sure use some help with my prescription drug costs, who couldn’t?  Walgreens Prescription Savings Club is here for just that, a little help! Members of the program get savings on over 8000 prescription drugs, generic and brand name.  They also get discounts on flu shots, nebulizers and, I have a couple of friends who would benefit from this, diabetic testing supplies!    Annual family membership in the program is $35 and it covers you, your spouse, all of your kids 22 and under and your pets’ medications are even covered too.  That covers the whole family through college and obedience school!  If it’s just you, or if you’re suggesting the program to one of your single adult kids, an individual membership is only $20.

The program also offers bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products or when you use their photofinishing services.  Like Walgreens on Facebook  to keep up on Walgreens’ specials and the Prescription Savings Club and Follow Walgreens on Twitter to keep up to date.

The Walgreens Prescription Saving Club is perfect if you are uninsured, insured but your insurance doesn’t cover some of your medications or medical supplies or if your copays are just too high.  Check out the program and read the FAQs.  I already found one of my medications listed in the 90 days for $12 drugs list.  The program is definitely worth considering!

Booking Flight

Contributed by Milford Woods

My in-laws are coming to visit us in March. For some reason, they are extremely bad about booking their flights. They just don’t understand exactly how to search different websites and find an inexpensive flight. They usually just call their favorite airline over the phone and try to book a trip. It usually ends up costing them way too much money. I told them this time, that I was going to help them book a flight. My mother in law insisted that they had it, they found flights for seven hundred dollars a piece. I logged onto kayak.com using my clear wireless internet Covington connection and searched for flights. I ended up finding them first class tickets that were non-stop for five hundred dollars a piece. That saved them four hundred dollars and they are getting to fly first class! I am going to have to teach them how to do this when they get out here in March. They shouldn’t be wasting that much money! There are a lot of things you could be doing with four hundred dollars!

Make Me Love My Job

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory. All opinions are 100% mine.

You can’t kick start your year better than a whole new job-world.  Yes, I know this is the time of being grateful if you have  job, but how about a whole new look at work to make that being grateful even easier?
Ever daydream at work about an updated computer?  Maybe the lift you day needs is a new desk, chair and some brighter décor.  How about, and this would be my dream job surroundings, a high-end stereo system and an espresso maker!  Those are the three prize packages in the Pimp My Cube Contest 

Contest Factory is holding the Pimp My Cube Contest Contest to award the most horrible, the neediest, work environment a makeover.  They want to make YOUR job a happy one to have!

Getting your chance for a fabulous cube makeover is pretty simple.  All you need is a smart phone or digital camera that will shoot a short video showing your workspace and why you need a break, every day, with some new digs.



Simply follow the link to the Pimp My Cube Contest and upload your video.  Then direct your friends, family, coworkers or fellow bloggers to vote.  Yes, it’s okay to offer to let a coworker borrow your new chair for a day or make them a cup of espresso when you win!  The better your story and the funnier your video, the better your vote-getting chances, even from people you don’t know!

The contest runs until January 31 for submitting videos.  Here’s a big hint – as of is posting, no one has submitted video!  You really could be just an upload away from a plush new chair to relax a little in between calls or a rich, steamy espresso to beat those afternoon blues.   How easy is that?  Instead of anyone complaining that you’re complaining again, now you could win a great prize for complaining about your cube!

There will also be a $200 gift card awarded randomly as a second prize in the contest.  That’s enough to get a cushy chair or padded wrist rests or take your supporting coworkers out for espresso.  Have some fun, make your video and maybe see things start to be a little brighter at work!

Well Hello Old Friend!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Slim-Fast for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ll be posting my goals for 2012 soon and of course, reaffirming my weight loss goals will be among them, as always. I was checking out the Slim-Fast website. I used Slim Fast back round 1990, successfully; I dropped 15 pounds over the summer before trade school, including a week’s vacation! Back then it was a few flavors of powdered mix that you put in a shaker with water and ice to make the shakes. I tried the vanilla, but I pretty much got the chocolate most of the time. It was filling and tasty for 2 meals a day with healthy dinner. Boy Slim-Fast has grown while its customers have shrunk!
Now the plan has evolved to 6 meals a day, the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 plan. The plan is 3 healthy snacks which include fruits or veggies, nuts or a delicious 100-calorie Slim-Fast snack bar, tasty and new since I last tried Slim-Fast. The 2 is a shake, which comes in the powdered type and ready to drink shakes in vanilla and two chocolate flavors plus cappuccino and strawberry! And you’re not limited to drinking your meal replacement now. The 2 in 3-2-1 can be a meal replacement bar in any of several varieties of chocolate, sweet and salty and Fruit and Yogurt. The one is a balanced meal with meat or a vegetarian protein vegetables and a whole grain for about 500 calories.
Get your Slim-Fast meal replacements and snack bars the same places I used to get them, like Kroger or Target, but updating with the times, you can order online at Amazon or The Drug Store. Also moving with the convenience of the times and being part of social networking, you can follow Slim-Fast on Facebook and get information and support from fellow dieters who have had and are having success with the 3-2-1 program. I liked them and you should too if you want to be notified every time something wonderful, a new success happens!

Fantasy Football

Article written by guest blogger, Victor Flowers

My husband loves fantasy football. We have clear internet through http://clearwirelessinternetservice.com, and every Sunday he spends the whole day online, checking his fantasy football scores. While I give him a hard time about how much time he spends on fantasy football, I actually think it is pretty cool how close he and his high school buddies have stayed over the years. He still keeps in touch with the same group of seven guys that he went to high school with. Even in their mid-thirties, the guys get together every year for holiday parties and the fantasy football draft. Even though they are spread out all over the country, they will meet in a central location to have a guys’ weekend every year or two. It is really amazing the friendships that they have created over the years. Several of his close friends are in the military, but they guys will work around everyone’s schedule to make sure everyone can be there when they get together. I can honestly say that they are some of the closest friends I have ever seen. The wives have even become close over the years. It is a true blessing to have the lasting friendships that my husband has developed, even if it is aided by fantasy football.

Career-Driven Comfort

This has been a year of seeing a lot of medical professionals for me and one thing I’ve often giggled about in my own mind is how great it must be to “wear pajamas” while making your living. By that I mean, of course, scrubs! http://www.blueskyscrubs.com is a great place to find scrubs for men, women and kids in a variety of colors. If you have a professional who wears scrubs on your holiday gift-giving list or if you want something comfy to wear on those days you stay in, Blue Sky Scrubs is certainly worth checking out!

Medical professionals that are just finishing school or starting out in their profession have college bills and need an appropriate career wardrobe, same as any profession. If you or someone you know needs scrubs as they are starting out in their medical career, Blue Sky’s discount scrubs are a good way to get that professional wardrobe started. The prices are great and if you spend $155, the shipping is free. You all know how much I love free shipping!

They offer full sets of scrubs, separates, scrubs hats in fun prints and accessories. Whether you want to feel good and confident at work or comfortable at home, Blue Sky Scrubs is a great site to see!

Get Rid of the Stains, Not Your Pet

It’s been a productive night for me. I got the kitchen tile scrubbed and ready for baking. Next pre-holiday room is the living room. There are 2 problems with the living room cleanup; Kaline and Carla!

I have to find something comparable to The Steam Team in Austin, Texas. They will clean almost anything in your home! While the girls are girls, so they don’t spray, they seem to have delicate stomachs! We have problems with kitty vomit! We clean it as best we can, but after a while, our beige carpet gets a little polka dotted! One of the many areas The Steam Team in Austin specializes in is stain odor removal. If you have a cat or dog that’s had an accident on the rug, you know how valuable it is to unstain and unsmell things!

The Steam Team in Austin does upholstery too! Check out this page: http://www.thesteamteam.com/austin-cleaning-services/upholstery.shtml If you love your pet as much as we love our kitty-girls, they’re a part of your family. They curl up with you to watch TV and well, I know a cat’s been responsible for spilled hot cocoa once, or twice! A company that can restore the room you love to be in can put you and the pet you love back in harmony.

If you’re in Austin, you owe it to yourself to check out The Steam Team!

Taking my daughter to Fashion's Night Out events

Guest post written by Theresa Fall

I don't really come up with that many excuses to drive into the city besides taking the kids to Broadway plays and it's not like we do that very often. It's too expensive to do it as often as we would like. But I thought that it would be really neat for my 13-year-old daughter if we went into the city to go to some Fashion's Night Out events. Besides, I kind of wanted to go too and see some of these famous designers and celebrities so we just made it into a really fun mother-daughter bonding experience.

We did a lot of research online to see exactly all of the events that we could go to within reason. I didn't want to promise her we'd see certain people if we wouldn't' be able to fit those events into our busy schedule. While I was looking online to get that info, I ran across some stuff on tv and internet packages . I showed it to my husband and after that we decided to change over our service to one of the ones we saw on there.

Our number one goal of Fashion Night Out was to go and see Harry Potter and that we did.

Make Any Day a Holiday

You remember how I was floating on cloud nine on the spring as my flowers were blooming. The blooms, all that color, it was just sunshine no matter what was in the sky every day all spring. Now, the flowers are gone and the fall colors that were so bright just a week ago are starting to carpet the ground. The brown season, as David calls it, is just about here. Kinda depressing. It makes me think about what can put that 24/7 smile back on my face. Then I took a look at the Serenata Flowers website!

Serenata Flowers is based in the United Kingdom, but they ship flowers through partnerships with local florists. You can send flowers to anywhere in the world. I read a testimonial from a woman living in the US who sent flowers to her mother in the England . She said her “Mum cried when she saw them.” That’s what makes the inner sun shine, sending flowers makes you just feel good, it’s a warm glow you feel inside. I remember this past Valentine’s Day I sent Tori and Rina roses, which is something I don’t always do. It was a pretty special deal to them and it shook the winter blahs for me to make them feel that special. Flowers just make any day a holiday!

Serenata Flowers has arrangements on their site that capture the splendor of autumn, the magic of romance, celebrate any special event and make every day a special celebration of its own. By using additives to make flowers last longer, the person receiving your gift can extend that happy glow. You can be an important part of that inner sunshine that flowers preserve!

Help a School Girl Out?

I’m taking a Customer Service/Service Desk class this semester. There have been a lot of group projects, which is a problem. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy group projects and I’ve often done well on them. When I was fresh out of high school and in community college, my money fit better with community college than a university, group –projects were often me doing a lot of the work. That was partially because I was young and not experienced with taking a leadership role and delegating, but it was also part because many of the community college students, that were my age at the time, weren’t as much serious about their studies as they were not serious about the working world. Serious 18-year-old students were in a 4-year college. Yes, this is something Rina and Tori have heard about often. Still, I enjoyed the group projects, even if it was 2 or 3 classmates taking credit for work I did most of, we all got an A!

When I returned to finish my degree as an adult, in an accelerated program with a lot of other adults too, group projects and discussions got even better. I often ended up the group leader by election because I had some management experience by then and knew how to assess the strong points of the group members and delegate. We still got As, but the results were much better!

Now, I have group projects again only this time, it’s an online class! I posted on our class message board, inquiring how we were supposed to do the group projects, expecting to be told to do it via chat or email. We were instructed to work with friends and family! Eek!

It’s not all bad, really. I’ve learned in past jobs and various seminars that the best way to learn something new is to teach it to someone else. If you can explain a new concept in a way that someone who is unfamiliar with it can understand, then you truly have learned it. Fortunately, this is not the brain surgery class!

So, I’m asking anyone that has a couple of minutes that they can spare to be part of my group, if you could give your opinion on one or both topics, I’d really appreciate it!


Project 1

Discuss experiences using technology for help.

By technologies, I mean, a time when you’ve called a help desk or customer service and used a phone menu to route your call, filled out a web form to request assistance with a question, used a Company’s website for information (hyperlinks, FAQs etc.) or an instant message or chat with a service rep.

Choose one instance and tell me about it.

How do you feel about interacting with support technology either before or instead of speaking with an actual person?

Were there any positive things you recall from the experience?

Were there negatives from the experience?



Project 2

Situations that cause frustration or anger.

Here are some situations that can cause frustration or anger for customers that were discussed in this week’s reading: waiting a long time on hold, continued problems that resurface when they have already been fixed, perceive their complaint is not being taken seriously or that the service rep isn’t listening, a helplink on the company’s site is broken, a long wait to get into a help chat room, forms that don’t include the problem you’re having as a choice when you must check a button or box, forms that don’t give adequate space to describe a problem

What other situations have caused you frustration with customer service/help desk reps?

What are the top five situations that cause frustration for you as a customer?

What could a company do to make your number one frustration easier to deal with?



Thanks to everyone who can lend a helping hand on this!

Dad's Advice

Written by Shannon Tillman

When I was a little girl my dad told me that if you did something you loved you would never work a day in your life. That really stuck with me for some reason and I’ve been trying to live that out ever since to the best of my ability. Dad’s gone now but I think he would be proud of my small business and the fact that I absolutely love getting up and going to work every day. It’s nice to be my own boss and make my own decisions about things like bank card processing and how to market and what to do with our profits although it’s nerve-racking paying other people and trying to keep this place afloat when times are tough. The economy’s been hard but I know if I can get us through this that we’ll be fine for posterity so I’m just going to keep on keeping on in hopes this little business of mine will keep growing. I’m sure dad’s helping from wherever he is, of course!

Fit For The King Here!

This post brought to you by T.G.I. FRiDAY'S. All opinions are 100% mine.
I got an opportunity to try T.G.I. FRiDAY’S “Entrées for One” in the mail last week.  Well, my first thought was what entrees do they have?  I went to the website and found some yummy chicken dishes, some Mexican and Cajun style entrees and then I saw “it,” Prime Rib Stroganoff!

I know what you’re thinking. Any chicken is the obvious Nani choice, but I was thinking something different.  The 2011 Donna Reed type is NOT always home to cook for her husband and while he cooks just fine, if I’m out with friends and he’s home, David often doesn’t cook and he takes frozen meals for lunch too.  Prime Rib Stroganoff is an obvious David choice, a man’s meal!

Oh, and if you Facebook, and I know a lot of us do, check out the Fun Freezer contest  People submitted photos of their “fun freezers” and Friday’s will choose 10 finalists.  October 7-20 you can vote on your favorite of the top ten!  It was fun to have a look at how creative people can be in freezer décor!

Back to Prime Rib Stroganoff.  Here is what you see after warming:

 

Almost makes my mouth water and I’m not a beef person.  The true test, what does David think?

He liked it!  In fact, he liked it enough that he thinks we should get more for the freezer.  When he works the night shift and comes home after I’ve eaten, he often grabs something he can heat up.  He was impressed with the Prime Rib Stroganoff.  He said the meat was tastier than you’d usually find in a frozen meal and it was moist and tender.  He’d definitely heat this up for his late dinner.  6 minutes, that’s all it takes, from open the box to eat, perfect for after work!  I think I’m going to decorate OUR freezer on the inside and get some more Prime Rib Stroganoff and the Sizzling Chicken Fajitas, or maybe the Grilled Chicken Mac and Cheese, maybe both!

So, The News

I’ve been a little swamped with life lately. School just ended for the semester and I’m taking the summer off. I was going to take one class, but I have some catch up work for the XML class and was granted another term to complete the class. My instructor for XML was VERY cool! This semester wasn’t what I’d planned at all, because the medical stuff didn’t go as I’d planned at all!

I haven’t blogged about it yet because I’ve been going over in my mind how I’d tell the tale. Then Kelly posted a travel query on Facebook and both Jeff and Jeanne extended the invitation to come to Atlanta. That meant it was time to tell everyone what’s going on with me. Well, that means I’ve found the words I needed. Anyway, I buckled down and really looked for them, and there they were!

Okay, first off, what I’m most concerned about is that the written word doesn’t have the inflection the spoken word does. I am not gloomy, sad or depressed. I hope the normal Nani optimism and smiles are clear in my writing. This is the main body of the letter I sent to friends on Facebook:

The plan at the beginning of the year was that I was getting an MRI of the lower back and then probably surgery. Rehab and all, I’d be good as new by Christmas. Well, the neurosurgeon had me do some tricks which I couldn’t do, like standing with my feet together. It was his opinion that, bad as my lower back is, it isn’t the problem. The lower back doesn’t screw up balance. I had an MRI on the upper spine and neck, looking for a pinched nerve. No pinched nerve. Then a CT Scan, looking for a benign, and the neurosurgeon specified benign, brain tumor. That was the worst for me. Benign or not, brain surgery was a scary thought. I even refrained from coloring my hair while going through testing, if you can imagine me giving up that vanity! I figured if they did have to do bran surgery, why pay to color it and then have it shaved off? Well, good news, it’s auburn again now. No tumor.

What the CT Scan did show was that my cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls motor function, is too small for my age. The neurosurgeon told me that there was no one in Toledo qualified to diagnose me and sent me to Cleveland Clinic. That’s the number four hospital, not in Ohio, but in the COUNTRY! Talk about a happy Leo ego! Best in the state, fourth best in the US, my brain is pretty important, huh? I met with a neurologist there who was awesome! He looked at my CT scan and MRIs with me and he pointed out exactly what I was seeing. Yep, my cerebellum is too small for the space it’s supposed to fill. He says the symptoms indicate a probable genetic condition and asked all kinds of questions about my family. Yanno, Mom had some balance issues and fell a few times, but she had the heart condition and diabetes so it fit together. Since the first of the year, I’ve been tested for just about everything, including a chest x-ray and EKG last week. My balance issues fit with nothing!

I also had a brain MRI last week. MRIs suck and I really am tired of those! I’ve also had more blood drawn in the last month…I look like a junkie with all the tracks! Anyway, I go back to Cleveland Clinic next month to follow up after the brain MRI and blood work. The doctor seems pretty positive that it’s genetic and he’s trying to narrow it down to exactly what it is, for me, what to call it. He has already brought up a special walker for neurological patients and use of the wheelchair. This is not life-shortening, but it is, unfortunately, life altering. Well, it’s way-of-life altering.

The cool part is that I can now blame my medical issues for being so long between jobs when I get back into the job hunt, plus I’ll have some new computer certifications. I’ll be fully qualified for a sit-down job, like telephone help desk or web design and my end of interview sale can be that they can meet a quota and I have the opportunity to make them know they made the best decision they could. Okay, the job hunt is probably going to be the beginning of 2013, when my diagnosis is official and my trips to Cleveland finished and when I'm finished with enough classes to take the certification tests.

Right now I’m working on getting used to things that won’t be changing and adjusting to them. I’m doing okay for the most part. But hey, go with me and we get good parking, guaranteed seats at most places and while that walking part of my brain appears to have shrunk, the thinking part is still working well for smiling, laughing, joking and in general the stuff I’ve always done. I may have to rent one of those scooters to go apple picking and I’ll have to learn how to dance in a wheelchair. :)

So, there is the current story in my world. It’s a new challenge, but it’s also a new opportunity to seize the rainbow behind the clouds that appears when I shine my sun on them. I’ll keep the Chronicles updated whenever it is that they can give my “thing” a name.

Don’t feel sorry for what I don’t have a choice about. Be inspired by what I am choosing to do about it.