One Word Wednesday: Free

FREE

I was wracking my brain, trying to come up with something unusual for the word, Free.   Nothing was hitting me.  I tried googling the word free but kept coming up with ways to get free stuff.  I was going to skip One Word Wednesday this week.


Then this morning, I started to read The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.  I'm sure I'm probably the only person in America who hasn't read The Notebook yet  (I haven't seen the movie either, but I digress).  


Right there, on page 10, I come across a poem called A Clear Midnight from a book of poetry by Walt Whitman .  This is the passage I read:

This is thy hour, O Soul, thy free flight into the wordless,
Away from books, away from art, the day erased, the lesson done,

Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing, pondering the themes thou lovest best,
Night, sleep, death, and the stars.

To be honest, I'm not really sure what Mr. Whitman meant when he wrote this poem (in 1881).   

 I think maybe he's talking about how he enjoys the late hour because of the quiet around him.

What do you think he meant when he wrote that poem all those years ago?

Jill, at Jillsy Girl is the host of One Word Wednesday.  Every week, she gives us a word to blog.  We can write a story, post a picture, a poem, a song.  Whatever we want!  Check her out!!  You can also see what everyone else is blogging about too.

One Word Wednesday: Soar

SOAR

As if you all didn't know, this word is a no brainer for me.  Just look at my header!   

This actually all began 29 years ago, on my honeymoon in Acapulco, Mexico.  My then-new husband (now my ex-husband) and I had never even seen parasailing before.  We thought about it, then both chickened out.  We did, however, try to convince friends of ours, who got married 3 weeks after we did and also went to Acapulco on their honeymoon (copycats!!) that we did go parasailing and they should try it!  They didn't bite.

Fast forward to 2007, Ocean City, MD.  My 16 year old daughter and her friend go parasailing and again, I chicken out!  I tell John, maybe the next time we come to Ocean City!  He's a retired paratrooper with the US Army's 82nd Airborne, and he's dying to go!  

So finally on September 22, 2010 (a date which will live in infamy... at least in my mind), the day after I turned 55, I did it!!! I soared!!!  We went up 800 feet, as high as we could go! I figured what the hell.  If I go up 400 feet, I may as well go 800 feet.  And I'm with an experienced paratrooper, if we happen to get free of the harness.  And I'm wearing a life jacket.  And I don't see any sharks down below. 

It's amazing how quiet it is up there, except for the wind noises.  It was rather blustery up there.  This was not long after Hurricane Whatever, and the ocean was somewhat choppy and the breezes were generous.

The ride lasted about 15 minutes, although we were in the boat for nearly 2 hours.  There were 5 other couples going parasailing too.

 Lift off!!!

Look at my face!!  Oh my!!!

 Up we go!

 800 feet in the air!  Everything looks so small from up there!

 Splashdown!

Coming in for our landing

That really was quite fun!  And I plan to soar again!  

I did take a little bit of pleasure, texting my ex to let him know I did it.  He said he'd have had a heart attack!  wimp.

Jill, at Jillsy Girl is the host of One Word Wednesday.  Every week, she gives us a word to blog.  We can write a story, post a picture, a poem, a song.  Whatever we want!  Check her out!!  You can also see what everyone else is blogging about too.

One Word Wednesday: Balance

Balance

Our word this week is Balance.  It took me some time to come up with something for this word.  Then someone was talking about their father suffering from Vertigo, an Inner Ear problem and I had my story!

A few years ago, I rolled over in bed and the entire room starting spinning like I had drunk way to much alcohol! (remember the spins when you closed your eyes after getting totally drunk?  No?  Well, it ain't fun!)  I thought my blood pressure was too high because I had run out of my prescription and didn't renew it for a while.  

I had a hard time with my balance at times because if I turned my head too fast, the spinning would start and my balance was off like I was drunk!

So I broke down and called my doctor for an appointment.  I told him what was going on.  Dr. R thought he was a comedian (he did have a great but weird sense of humor).  Dr. R had me lie down on the examining table, with my feet at the head of the table and my head at the foot.  My head was hanging off the end of the head and resting in his hands.  He turned my head one way and I was fine.  Then he turned my head the other way and the whole room was spinning!!!

He explained to me that in your inner ear, there are these little "stones" or crystals, and sometimes a few get knocked out of whack.  Your inner ear is trying to get them back into place and this causes the dizziness.  

So basically, my doctor told me I had rocks in my head, but he said everyone has them.  (yuck, yuck!!)  He gave me a prescription for something like Benadryl, which made me sleepy, so I only took it at night.

I told my doctor I was afraid the dizziness was from my blood pressure from being too high and he said, "Nope!  It's all in your head!"

See?  I told you he was a comedian!!!!  Unfortunately, not long after, he moved his practice to another state that has better insurance rates for doctors than Pennsylvania does.

So every now and then, my vertigo kicks up and my balance is off again, especially if I turn my head too fast or try to lay a certain way in bed and the room takes me on a ride that turns my stomach!

Jill, at Jillsy Girl is the host of One Word Wednesday.  Every week, she gives us a word to blog.  We can write a story, post a picture, a poem, a song.  Whatever we want!  Check her out!!  You can also see what everyone else is blogging about too.

One Word Wednesday: Wish

Wish

"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."

or

"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight.  Wish I may, wish I might, make this wish I wish tonight."

Don't you wish that it was that easy to make things come true for you? When I saw the word for this week, this quote and that nursery rhyme came to mind right away, as did this song from the 60s, by Dusty Springfield.  I've always loved her songs.  This one in particular is rather outdated and terribly old-fashioned for this day and age, but I still like it.  You may remember it from the movie, My Best Friend's Wedding, but this is the original artist!

Wishin' and Hopin' 

Jill, at Jillsy Girl is the host of One Word Wednesday.  Every week, she gives us a word to blog.  We can write a story, post a picture, a poem, a song.  Whatever we want!  Check her out!!  You can also see what everyone else is blogging about too.

One Word Wednesday: Gift

GIFT

This week's word is Gift.  Today I want to talk about the gift of life, in particular, the incredible gift that John was given last year, the summer of 2009.  


John was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma in June 2007.  It was all down the left side of his body, in his neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis.  John underwent 6 months of chemo and went into remission. Over the next 2 years John's cancer came back twice.  He had his spleen removed in Jan 2009.  

Three months later it was back.  He went to the University of Pennsylvania, where a Lymphoma specialist told him she could do a stem cell transplant and get rid of his cancer once and for all.  She was going to completely destroy John's immune system and then do a stem cell transplant to build a brand new immune system, using John's own stem cells!!  However, it was a dangerous treatment and it could possibly kill him.  If the chemo didn't kill him, he could possibly develop Leukemia 10 to 20 years down the road.  John said,  "You can give me 10 to 20 more years?  Let's do it!"  Who know what strides the medical community can make in 10 years?


The summer of 2009, John went through 3 rounds of very high dose chemo.  He handled it like it was nothing!  His bone marrow was still good, so they harvested his own stem cells for transplant in August.  

John, recovering at home after the transplant, Sept. 2009

John was supposed to be in the hospital, following the transplant for about a month.  He was released in 12 days!  He entered the hospital for the last round of chemo and transplant on August 21.  He went back to work on September 21!!  John's re-birthday is August 28, and we celebrate it every year!  

John, boogying with my daughter, Gina at my niece's wedding October 2009

He looks like Daddy Warbucks!

John was getting PET scans every 3 months for a year to check to see if his cancer has returned and so far, it hasn't!!  It's been 16 months and John's been cancer free all this time!

John, October 2010 just after learning he's till cancer free!

Dr. Sunita Nasta has given John the gift of his life!  We appreciate every day and celebrate John's good health!

Jill, at Jillsy Girl is the host of One Word Wednesday.  Every week, she gives us a word to blog.  We can write a story, post a picture, a poem, a song.  Whatever we want!  Check her out!!  You can also see what everyone else is blogging about too.

One Word Wednesday: Stuffed

Stuffed

Stuffed.  Now that was something I didn't do on Thanksgiving Day.  I ate a little bit of everything, but I didn't overdo it.  Not even sure why!  There have been times, in recent years, where I couldn't move after eating Thanksgiving dinner!

I have a great recipe for Mexican Stuffed Shells.  I had a Weight Watchers recipe years ago, but I can't find it.  This one is really close.  It's easy and yummy!!!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

• 24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
• 1 pound lean ground beefshopping li
• 2 cups salsa (as hot as you like it)
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese
• TOPPINGS:
• 8 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
• 8 tablespoons salsa
• 1/4 coup sliced ripe olives (green or black)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions

• Cook pasta shells according to package directions;drain.
• In a nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink;drain.
• Stir in the salsa, tomato sauce, corn and beans. Spoon into pasta shells.
• Place in a 13-in. x 9in. x2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Top with sour cream, salsa, olives and onions.

Jill, from Jillsy Girl, our host at One Word Wednesday is getting some real life stuff done and Sally from  Sally G. has been gracious enough to host One Word Wednesday until Jill comes back.  Check these ladies out, they're awesome!!

One Word Wednesday: Splatter

SPLATTER

When I first saw the word for this week, which happens to be SPLATTER, I thought, "How in the hell world am I going to come up with something for Splatter?"  


Then, it came to me.  Jackson Pollock!   I have to say I'm not really a fan of his work.  I don't understand how throwing paint and smearing it and flinging it onto a canvas with a brush can be considered art.  I think a lot of it looks cool, but give me a good Monet or Van Gogh and you'll see me smile.  


The thing is, I don't think I understand what his message is.


Anyway, here is a photo of Jackson Pollock at work.

And here area  few of his paintings that I thought looked cool.

I think I like the bright colored ones the best.

 Paul Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 – August 11, 1956) 


Jill, from Jillsy Girl, our host at One Word Wednesday is getting some real life stuff done and Sally from  Sally G. has been gracious enough to host One Word Wednesday for the next few weeks.  Check these ladies out, they're awesome!!

One Word Wednesday: Dynamic

Dynamic

 I was having a hard time coming up with something, besides Batman and Robin for the word,  Dynamic.  Of course, you all know that Batman and Robin were known as the Dynamic Duo!

Then I did a google search for The Dynamics and found this band and some of their videos.  The Dynamics are a French band that does covers of many popular American bands.  I thought their version of  Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love was pretty cool! Give it a listen and tell me what you think.

Jill, from Jillsy Girl, our host at One Word Wednesday is getting some real life stuff done and Sally from  Sally G. has been gracious enough to host One Word Wednesday for the next few weeks.  Check these ladies out, they're awesome!!

One Word Wednesday: Connect

Jillsy Girl hosts One Word Wednesday. Each week Jill asks someone to select a word and we have a week to come up with a story, a poem, a photo, a song that best describes that word.  This week, the word is CONNECT.  I was wondering the best way to blog about this word and then I remembered RE-connecting with some of my high school friends last winter.  I hadn't seen most of these women since graduation 100 years ago in 1973.  Luckily, someone brought a yearbook with her, because there was one gal who I had no idea who she was! (sorry Maria!)  To be fair, we were classmates, not really friends and didn't hang out at all.  And there were nearly 1,000 kids in my graduation class!

That's me, sitting on the far right, with my gray hair!  I got rid of that gray shortly after!

We had a great time at a bar/restaurant in the old neighborhood and enjoyed lots of laughs!!!

One friend, Meg, who I've known since first grade brought her sister, Eleanor along.  It was so good to see them again, because not much more than a week later, Eleanor passed away, in her sleep.  She wasn't even sick.  She was 51.  I was glad to have been able to see her again.  RIP Ellie!

Thanks to Facebook, I've been able to re-connect with quite a few of my former classmates and "kids" from my neighborhood (HA!!  We're all mid to late 50s now!) .  It's amazing.  Some folks look exactly the same.  Some look so different, I wouldn't know them if they knocked on my door!


I wanted to quickly add a Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!  November 10th is the 235th birthday of our beloved Marines!  Semper Fi to the Marines, active and retired!  Thank you for your service to our great country!  

One Word Wednesday: Retreat

Retreat

I was having a difficult time, coming up with a decent blog post about the word, Retreat.  I read someone's post and my retreat came to me!

My retreat was the cruise I took with my friend, Tina, back in January 2007.  I wish I had the funds to do this every year with her.  That cruise was, without a doubt, the best vacation I ever took, because it rejuvenated me, and it gave me back my sanity after an extremely rough 2 years, when I was forced to deal with my divorce, one that I never wanted (but now I am SO glad I got!)

I saved for a year and a half for this cruise.  Tina became my friend when I was at my lowest.  She dragged my sorry ass out of the house for dinners and movies and just hanging out.  When she suggested the cruise, it was perfect timing!!!

Tina and me on St. Thomas

We spent 10 perfectly glorious days sailing the Southern Caribbean.  I can't remember the last time I laughed so much before that vacation.  We didn't do anything special.  We hit a few beaches, did a little shopping, took a bus tour.  But we mostly just hung out on the deck by the pool, reading novels, getting some sun, enjoying the Captain (Morgan, that is).  

I returned home, happy, relaxed, TAN and ready to face my world!  And I'd do it again tomorrow if I could!

If you want to play along, Jilllsy Girl has the rules right here. 

One Word Wednesday: Passion

Passion

If I ever get married again, this is the song I want to dance to.  It says everything I feel when I think of John and me.  He woke a passion in me that I thought was dead and gone forever. It hasn't diminished a bit in 4 years, and I don't think it's going away any time soon.   And nobody can sing it like Miss Etta James.

I give you....

At Last

At last, my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
Oh, yeah, at last
The skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clovers
The night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to rest my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known
Oh, yeah when you smile, you smile
Oh, and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine
At last

If you want to play along, Jillsy Girl has the rules right here.  

A Sweet Celebration

SWEET!

I keep seeing this meme, One Word Wednesday, hosted by Jillsy Girl and I really like it.  So today I've done 2 blog posts.


This week's One Word is SWEET.

After checking out other entries, to get an idea of what photo to choose, I came up with this one.  This photo was taken one year ago, at my niece's wedding.  Of course, my niece's wedding was a sweet celebration, but the subject here is John, boogying with my daughter, Gina like there's no tomorrow!!  This photo was taken less than 2 months after he underwent a stem cell transplant to get rid of his Lymphoma (cancer of his immune system) once and for all!  Doesn't he look like Daddy Warbucks?


I posted a riddle just below this post!!!  Go ahead!  Try to solve it!