It it wasn't so much fun I'd ask you to stop the world so I could get off

Life has been crazy around here. Crazy but very good. Exhausting but very good. Chaotic but very good.

Today, as I drink my second cup of coffee before 10:00 (laced with hot cocoa no less) so as to fuel me enough just to make it until Parker's nap time I cannot help but feel joy and happiness. No my Christmas shopping isn't done, yes our Christmas tree tipped over and broke some of my favorite )and brand new) bulbs because the cats had thought we had bought them a new scratching post, and in case you were just wondering, yes there's a mountain of laundry to do because this time of year causes flares that dwarf most of my other flares but I am so content that it really doesn't much seem to matter. I just wish it would snow so that Parker would have an actual use for the moon duck boots and snow pants that still have their tags on them. I also wish I could find our battery charger for our camera (hrmm, maybe I should look under the laundry ;) )

This time of year really is very warm and wonderful to me and I have no one but my mother and nothing but our squalid upbringing to thank for it. I only remember a few presents I ever got for Christmas as a kid - more for their sentimental reasons than because they were a coveted new spinning, sparkling toy - but there is an endless string of other Christmas memories that I cherish. So in honor of my mother, I now share with you a few of those I hold most dear.

Jingle Bells

Along with the countless number of other Christmas songs we'd sing in the car, Jingle Bells was also played by our rotating Christmas tree stand. I still remember it's


*EDIT* wow I don't even remember this let alone saving it as a draft! Man I must have been tired more to come soon though! :) I promise!

A Holly Jolly Christmas

A ho ho ho and good tidings to all! I have so much to post about but alas it's a quarter to midnight and I've only now had time to post so this will have to be short and succinct.

After a visit with my neurologist things are only a little more clear as the hospital only sent the radiologist's report on my MRI, MRA and MRB. It seems that indeed I have had a decent size stroke or hemorrhage or hemorrhage caused from a stroke near, from where she pointed on the plastic brain model, the center of my brain. She also didn't speak much about it being a hemorrhage but concentrated greatly on finding out the cause for a woman my age with no history of early age strokes in my family, high blood pressure or high cholesterol to be having strokes and seeing if we can prevent another from happening. We'll be doing another round of MRI's in a couple months as well as a full blood work up that includes looking for a genetic disorder called Marfan syndrome of which I have some symptoms of like a protruding breast bone, a heart murmur, and slightly long limbs (I'm also 5' 81/2" - for a girl that's not SUPER tall but it's tall enough to cause a problem buying jeans most times) and in some ways share no symptoms at all (I only have 1 VERY VERY faint stretch mark from my second pregnancy and a few on my hips/tushy that I've had since childhood from learning how to do the splits.) I'm also very unusually flexible in my hips even though I've generally lost almost all flexibility in muscle related areas such as hamstrings. I wouldn't be surprised either way with that one. The good thing is that she said whatever it is isn't life threatening probably. *big sigh of relief*

Now I'm going to ask you all to do a huge favor for me. Well not even for me really but for some parents I don't know, have never met, and only have an extremely removed connection to. A co-worker of Monkey's called in to work today unable to come in because his step-son had stolen all the prescription medication in the home and handed them out at school as if they were candy. Two children are in the hospital, at least one in very serious condition. Shortly after the boy said he wanted to kill himself and is now in the suicide crisis center here in town. Please say a prayer, light a candle, dance naked under the moonlight, burn some incense or simply send out positive healing or thoughts whatever it is you do to all the children involved and to their parents. This hit so close to home with me that when Lou was a half an hour late coming home from school my mind several times over had to tell itself that the boy and Lou do not go to the same school in order to calm my nerves. Eventually Lou's teacher called telling me Lou had stayed behind to help him with a project and a big sigh of relief was expelled but please do what you do for the people, small and older, involved. No one ever expects their kid to be any of the kids involved in this tragic scenario and at any moment for any number of reasons there's a chance any of our little babies could have been.

Now on to the last bit of news I'm going to post about tonight. My early Christmas present and the reason for the name of this post.

Please say hello to Holly. :)


She was my Christmas present from Monkey :) She's beautiful isn't she? She's a 10 week old golden retriever. I know the picture is crappy but I promised someone I would post a pic of her today and my camera was able to snap one off before the battery died and unfortunately we can't find the charger and the flash didn't fire. I did what I could to lighten it but I'll hopefully have some better ones soon.