Author Archives: gegebearbear

Daily Prompt| Origin Story

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I have always kept a journal. Summarizing the day always seemed to make me feel better and helped get any feelings out that I usually would let build inside myself until I got angry.

I gave the journals up with my first marriage. I missed the writing, but I was focused on being a new wife,  no time to write.

Barry and I started the blog after we both dealt with serious illnesses.  Barry suffered a Massive Right MCA Stroke in 2011 and I had brain surgery in 2009 to remove a brain tumor. The tumor was benign, but it left me with a few after effects. The tumor he was unable to remove, started pressing into my cranial nerves causing twitches, voice trouble and neck problems.

The tumor ended up being a side effect to a genetic disorder that can cause all sorts of health issues. Barry has been released from his neurologist care, but just needs to call if any issues pop up. My neurosurgeon has released for the next five years. As long as I have no issues, I only have to see his funny face every five years, I love it!

The blog was originally the idea of our Neurological Counselor. She felt that if we wrote our feelings down, we could manage any issues better. It has truly helped. Barry and I communicate better, we aren’t cranky with each other, and our relationship has improved. This helps us transition through issues as they come up.

We continue to blog today, because it is helping to retrain our brains and keep our writing skills as sharp as we can. We work on the daily prompts together. Keeps the brain sharp. We enjoy writing together. We pass ideas around until we come up with a good response to the daily prompt. I do the weekend post. Barry does two post a week and I do the other two days. Most of the time, we work on all the post together. It has become an important part of our day!

Just When I start to forget I have a Brain Tumor, it rears it’s ugly head and smacks me in the face

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Yesterday, I woke up not feeling right. As the day progressed, my head began to hurt worse.Through through the day, the pain only got worse. I took a round of my assorted medications attempting to gain some relief.

I gained a tiny reprieve from the pain in my head. By the time we headed home from church, the pain was back, full force. I just felt awful. By this time, nausea had creeped into the mix. Once home, Barry checked my blood pressure, loaded me up with more drugs and put me to bed.

The next morning, when I woke up, my eyes did not want to open. Mom had a house full of company coming by 10:30. Last I heard, it was to be her sisters only.

By the time everyone arrived, we had a total of nine guests and two toddlers. I loved seeing everyone of them and would not change the day for anything. I enjoyed the visit, with my brain tumor acting a fool and driving my head past pain. I tried to focus on the postive and visualize the pain away.

Hear we are again, close to bedtime. My head feels like it is about to blow a gasket and I refused supper. Didn’t think it was a good idea. I’m about to turn the lights down low and attempt closing my eyes. I have a lot to do tomorrow, so I hope I wake up feeling like myself.

Too much going on in my life to get sick now. I need to wake up well-rested and ready to get busy. I will saybthis, at least my brain tumor headaches are getting fewer and farther apart. I thank the good Lord for that! Hope everyone hs a great night! More tomorrow.

Daily Prompt: Pat on the Back

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Tell someone you’re proud of just how proud you are.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us SUCCESS.

Our nephew, Jonathan, has overcome tons of odds to get where he is today. He has trouble with attention at times and has faught tooth and nail to keep his schoolwork up. He can be a bit lazy, but has made the grade every year and becomes more focused daily.

He loves the outdoors and working outside. His favorite pasttime is torturing his little brother. He has matured so much in the past year. He is turning into quite a nice young man.

He is so handsome at fifteen years old. The good thing is, he hasn’t discovered girls yet. I cannot believe they aren’t beating the door down. Hopefully he will not notice girls until he is in college.

He shows me such respect and is the only person around, other than Barry that doesn’t treat me like I’m a different person since the brain surgery. I’m still Aunt Jill to him. That rewards him the greatest respect from me. To have him show me that kind of respect at his age amazes me.

I cannot believe he is such a sweetheart. I beam with pride as I watch him grow into such a good young man. I’d love to think I might have had a small influence on him. It is an honor to call him my nephew. Who knows?

How to get from what if to so what? | Give it to God

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My life is full of fear daily, my illness can pop up with a change at any moment, the good Lord helps me manage that fear. I have focused on what if this happens, what if that hapoens, I am learning to  focus away from the pain and find something positive to focus on.

Giving my pain and issues over to the Lord has made my life so much simplier. I do not stress as much as I used to about the little things in life. Allbeit my health is not a little thing, but the Lord eases my anxiety.

Although I am almost through with my chemo treatments, with radiation coming up quickly, I find myself wondering what next? My counselor says it is time to let that go and get to the point of saying so what when something new happens. Get straight to handing things over to the Lord and get on with your life. Just handle it and don’t worry! I’m getting there, but I need a little more practice. God is still helping eith my coping skills.

Setting boundaries with family is another issue altogether. I have to pray about it a little more. Still looking for answers on how to handle that situation. Wish us luck!

Daily Prompt: Drawing a Blank | The School Assembly

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When was the last time your walked away from a discussion, only to think of The Perfect Comeback hours later? Recreate the scene for us, and use your winning line.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us HEATED.

I think I have been the slow comeback queen my entire life. Every single time I come up with a good comeback, it is always at least 20 minutes later. I’ve never been known for my quick mouth or brain. Brain surgery managed to only slow my head down a bit.

I recall an incident in the seventh grade. We were at an assembly and they asked for a group of girl’s to come out on the gym floor. I quickly ran out to volunteer.

The person leading the assembly started talking to the group and to my suprise the assembly was about birth defects. He stated “one of these young ladies will have a child with birth defects.” It will be because of the poor choices she will make as she gets older.

A stupid boy in my class, yells out at that moment. Watch it be Jill Hayes, she would be the poor choice in that group. She’d be the one to to have deformed children.

I knew exactly who said it. He said it loud enough for the entire gym to hear it. I was mortified. As we were leaving the gym, I came face to face eith him and could not come up eith a thing to say. I was still s embarassed I froze, I felt like hitiing him, but what would that solve. I still could not come up with a thing to say.

I ran into him again at lunch, by this time I had all morning to think about it. Esponding to his ignorance would only bring me down to his level. I decided to take the high road and just ignore him all together. He was just a stupid boy trying to act out. Why should I respond? We’ll grow up and never see each other again. I left it at that.

In the lunch room, I smiled, looked him dead in the eye and wished him a nice day. Mouth open, he just stared at me, as I walked away. I told him he might want close his mouth, he might catch a fly. When I looked back, he continued staring after me. I could never bring myself to like this guy very much, that day always stuck with me.

Kids can be so mean!

Daily Prompt: Life After Blogs

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Your life without a computer: what does it look like?

If I did not have a computer to do my blog and everything else we do online, the word old school comes to mind. I remember diaries, writing letters, land line phones, and actually talking to one another.

Kids today may not understand several of these things, but the human brain is an amazing organ. It can help you learn new things. They would learn to cope quickly.

My life without a computer just takes me back in time to pre-technology. I’d feel as if I were in high school again. The only negative I see in the picture, is paying long-distance fees for the telephone. Otherwise, I’m good!

Writing through cancer: For the Week of July 28, 2013: What Did You Notice?

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I was unable to walk today, I’m not feeling my best, so I stayed close to home. We went to church this morning, but unable to attend tonight. I tell Barry to go without me, but he doesn’t like me home alone. I gave up and quit arguing.

Yesterday,  Barry and I walked the yard and updated our garden journal. I’ll use our stroll around the yard for this post. We started at the front porrch. We have a few Chinese Fringe Flowers that need pruning and a few new spouts have popped up, that need transplanting. A few weeds that need to be handled,  but nothing I cannot do.

My minature butterfly bush has come back out and is almost three feet tall already. I need to work on the decorative well pump by the porch. My butterfly garden is suffering from inattention. The hosta’s have come up beautifully and I have a few that need transplanting this fall. It may take us that long to get the garden back to glory to make room for them. A Sweet Gum Tree has taken root near the water spicket. That needs to go!

On the hill to the right of the house, we have planted two red maples and attempted to handle a bad wash area with monkey grass and lillies. They are filling in nicely. Might take a year or two for it to fill in.
To the left of the new trees, we planted a few Chinese Fringe Flower Shrubs to act as a barrier near the guidewire for the telephone pole. Looking good near the road.

At the drive, I have a combo of old-fashioned lillies, Stella D’odro lillies and knockout roses. We have tons of room to add to this area, I just need to figure out what to add. We recently moved the mailbox to the otherside of the drive. It needs sprucing up.

Down the rightside of the drive, is considered mom’s territory.  We have a couple of things there, we planted prior to mom’s arrival. There are three heavenly Gardenia Shrubs well-established. One blueberry bush is closeby for the local critters to enjoy.

Behind those a Pin Oak is coming in nicely. It is large enough to sit a chair under to enjoy a little shade.  The rest on that side is is mom’s territory. I need to feed her a friendly reminder that she needs to do some weeding.

Under our bedroom window, we discovered a few surprises. Four O’clocks planted a few years ago have come back out and a lantana has popped up thanks to some sweet bird in the yard. It will transplant nicely when the time comes. The Hosta’s have come back out. They are huge and need a new home.

Beside the garage door the Smilix vine and lantana are gorgeous. The ramp and porch are around four feet tall. The lantana has out grown the porch already. The back of the house is more natural. We have two Corkscrew Willow Trees, a beauty berry bush, and one lone Pampas Grass. We need to do more in the back. I’d like to get a few hardscaping projects done. Barry and I will work slowly on those.

There is evidence of unknown wildlife either living or traveling through the yard. We watched a bunny run around for a few minutes. By the driveway, we saw a couple of lizards and salamanders playing aound on the porch. Barry got a wildlife camera for a retirement. We have been attempting to get pictures of what happens in the yard at night. No success yet!

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                                 Gardenias

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                                  Hostas

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                                       Gerber Daisy

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                                   Maggie and Mom’s Iris’s

Incognito Princess of Winder, Ga. spotted shopping in Snellville Target

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Word on the the street has Princess Betty Lou looking for houses in the Loganville, Ga. Area. The princess is attempting to flee the hustle and bustle of the streets of Winder, Ga.

She is seen here shopping after taking a break for lunch at a locsl establishment with family. They took a side trip by Target to try on some local fashion sunglasses. More to come as news comes available……..

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