MRI

I'm a big morale guy. I have been since I have been in this position and it's involved my home life too. You have to make the best of what you have everyday all the time because you just don't know what life will be in a few minutes from now. In sales, if something is bothering you or if your morale is low for some reason you are not going to try to do sales anywhere. It could be as simple as getting dirty at the start of the day. It could be as big as working alot of days in a row with no time off. Maybe your pay check was late this week. It effects peoples performance... We're an outside sales company and you have got to want to pull into that next driveway. Nine out of ten times just being there will result in some kind of sale. I realize that many things you don't have any control over, but I feel that you have to live off the good points.

Today, I had a follow-up MRI to see if anything has changed since the accident. I had the day off, it was raining and it just seemed like a fun thing to do, lay on a table and have a big magnet whirl around my head. LOL You never know what they will find, if anything, but I know today I feel good and I my body is on the right side of the grass! So I had nothing to worry about right. The technician asked me on the way in if I had ever had an MRI before? I told him, yes and no. I had one in 2007 but I was in a coma at the time, so does it count? It was simple, fast and painless and I was out of there in 20 minutes or so. On the way home, I made a follow-up stop at a customer I saw yesterday and made a big sale (200 units) for me. I was pumped and I even delivered some of it too. I could have been down about having to go for the MRI, but I took it as just another thing in life. The good and the bad I guess. So keep your spirits up and try to find something good in every day.

Relativly safe

We had decided to vacation at Sylvan Beach on Oneida Lake. A resort town with out a doubt, but when the weather didn't cooperate there wasn't many out of the campsite things to do. We spent time at the beach, watched a boat parade, went to the amusement park and ate out a few times, played some bingo and generally relaxed. The last day and night were the exciting ones though. There was rain on and off on Sunday and for something to do, we hung out under our tent shelter and played some cards. We were having fun though. About 7 pm. there was a huge explosion across the river from were our tent was set up. There wasn't any fire, no police response,etc. but it sounded like a propane tank exploding. There was a party going on next door to were we saw the explosion and I suppose it could have been a M80 or something like that I guess.... I don't really know. We went to bed and about 12:30 pm. the sky opened up. Thunder, lightning and lots of rain and more thunder and lightning. We had been more or less dry in the days before and the tents had been keeping out the water pretty well I guess. Tenting in a rain storm is not that fun. The night was flashing all around us and were just laying there watching it. We had nice air mattresses which kept us up off the floor so I guess we were relatively safe. My son thought he might feel better in the car, so he spent the rest of the night reclined in the front seat. The tent just dripped inside a little and it held up just fine. We toughed it out and in the morning it was still raining. We went out to breakfast and when we came back we were able to pack up the tent and we headed home, vacation over. It was one for the books, we made out OK and we saw an area we had never been to before...

vacation

We're taking an unforced vacation... Ya, you know one were I went on my own free will and none of it involved a hospital with an extended stay. It's kinda interesting, we only went about 50 miles from home to a new place for us, a campground on a river and a big lake. It's nice, there are a lot of permanent campers and it's quiet too. There's activities every night in town and I think we are just far enough from civilization so it's relaxing and there is no daily push to get stuff done. I don't know if it is good or bad but this campground has wireless Internet in the whole place. It's kinda cool. So, I'm setting at a picnic table by our tent typing on my laptop just for kicks.

My son just joked that I should do a search on the Internet on how to start a campfire. See what the world wide web had to offer. I'll try to get a picture or two in later this week.

new fence

We took some new pictures of the front of our house and the new fence for the world to see. I don't have them on this computer yet, but before I post this it will be there. This blog has not been very interesting as of late. Things are still moving along OK though. I guess the activity of note this week is the hand doctor visit. I'm going to see him this week and I think my "quirk" is giving him something to ponder. I still have this tingling in the tips of my fingers of the right hand, and on the bottom of my right foot too. They don't bother my movement, but I know it's there. We've wondered about the foot thing, but I really haven't not had something on my foot since before last Sept. It's been shoes, boots, heavy socks or something. And when I was in the hospital I had other things to think about. Somebody will figure it out someday I guess....

I was thinking the 25Th of Sept. is coming up and I was wondering what to do special, if anything. My wife didn't think that taking the day off and going to buy a ladder was even funny. It seemed kinda humorous. She thought that if I had to work there might be less chance of any excitement. For me, it seemed like a good day to find a reason to be at the hospital, maybe visit someone or have lunch. There's still a couple of months to think about it.

4th of July

Summer. It is passing us by, but I have been doing the fun things. Yes, it's been interesting. Adriane, spoke about the family reunion on the Fourth of July. Lots of great people, interesting careers, lifestyles, children and good food for all. It was just part of the day though, we did a family burial of my uncle in the morning and a wedding reception in the late afternoon. I take about the burial first. I know it sounds kinda different, but we have done it before. We have two family pastors, so we are able to this in house so to speak. It personal family time. Time with brothers, cousins, aunts, and my uncle and then we all go to the family reunion soon afterward...

After the food at the reunion and some great fellowship we took off for the wedding reception. I wouldn't disagree with you if you thought it was too much for one day, but we went anyway. It was for my best friends daughter, who had a previous civil ceremony before the birth of their son and was now was having a real wedding a year later. Lots of people having a good time, more food, just what we needed and our friends. Nothing against the reunion, but we have been for 15 straight years and this wedding was once in a lifetime. It was a no brainer. I will tell you though, it was a long mental day with a variety of emotions for sure. I was just drained.... Once again I went back to work to rest up from my day off. Not really, but mentally yes. Stick around and we'll talk about some more July events

Helmets?

Well, it happened again. Two evenings ago the fire department rescue went to a four wheeler accident in the wood with an unconscious male. We get there and the guy is a fire department member and he is laying in a ditch just moaning with blood all over his head. His son and a friend had been involved too. He had been thrown off the four wheeler, his passenger had landed on him, of course neither had helmets on.... We covered the hole in his head and loaded hi into the helicopter for a ride to the hospital. It was really kind of weird, I putting someone else in that bird..
It would still be nice to ride in one someday remember though, alert, upright and sitting in a seat.
Ended up a bunch of staples patching up his head, a few stitches got put in his hand and arms. He's real stiff too, but in a few days I think he will be out of the hospital. He's alive though,which is a great thing. Your always hearing about graduating seniors getting hurt or worse yet killed in car accidents. These two boys are good kids that I think just got a eye opening experience. I know that no one could have told them to be careful in stuff and it would have sunk in. This experience got their attention.
I heard, that when his wife got into the to the hospital room with him and the doctor and she read him the riot act. The helmet issue, the injuring their sons friend, the hospital, all of it. I heard the doctor was just speechless. It's kinda humorous I guess, but she was just dealing with the situation in her way, I guess. Remember my goal for 2008? Don't hit my head again... It seems like a good goal to me.

Community

Community is a great thing. Today we went to a benefit for a town resident that has cancer. It was a time to feel good about the town that we live in and the people that we surround ourselves with daily. I believe that there was over 600 people there for a chicken dinner, raffles, music and fellowship with their neighbors. He has four daughters who have husbands and there is some grandchildren involved too. The whole family had team Gerry tee shirts on, which was cool because you could tell who was related. Everything was run by the family, except the bar tending, the music and the food preparation. The fire department cooked all the chicken, another good bonding experience too. I was thinking, about it while I was eating my chicken, it has got to be overwhelming gratitude toward all the people there. Your family, the people helping out and the people partaking in the food, music and fun. I know for me, some of these people were there for me and I appreciate that and I needed to be there for them today. I helped cook the chicken in the am, we paid to eat and then we helped serve food to everyone else. Of course, no one knows God's plan for Gerry, but still today's events were a real feel good time for all.