Pacific Coast Rest-Stop

[deejay]

I wish I had a camera so I could take a picture of our house all decorated for Christmas. My roomie Becky made two wreaths with lights on them, and they are so nice. My roomie Kristina got a free artifical tree, and we all pitched in and decorated it. We also have a mini lighted tree on top of the upright freezer, and when you stand out front with both trees lit, and look in the window, it looks like there's a mirror reflecting the big tree. There's also a string of lights in the one front window, as well as another string on the fence out front. We plan to add to it each year.

[Rebecky]

I do remember some nursing stuff like the lungs are in the chest cavity right?

and I thought our lungs was in our rear ends...

[BusBoss]

As much "air" escapes from some rear ends that might be a possibility, Becky

[JesusPuppy]

Tim!!!! Howdy stranger-than-me... I know hard to believe that one huh, but still. Added the 17th for special prayer. Let us know how it turns out.

[deejay]

I recieved an unexpected blessing this morning. Roomie Kristina brought the mail in--very early, it was just after 8 a.m.--and mine was something from Bank of America, which I hadn't had an account with in ages. I was about to toss it, then decided to see what they wanted. It said that I'd signed up with a privacy service when I'd been with them, and now they were refunding me money--attached was a check for $120.90! More Christmas shopping money! Now I can get my nieces and nephews $25 gift cards instead of the $15 ones I'd planned on giving! Praise the Lord!

[Sparrow]

The new ruling, as he explained it, is for "Companies" to provide low cost insurance for their employees, or be fined, not the individual employee.

Yeah, and that's a real hardship on the small businesses, which is the foundation of our country. Many of them may have to go out of business because they can't survive. We paid a large portion of our employee's insurance but wouldn't be able to manage more. Plus, some of our employees chose to opt out of the insurance because they couldn't afford their end of the premiums. Now they won't have that option.

I used to get horrible nightmares all the time when I was little, and any book or movie that was the slightest bit scary would set it off. I remember being scared of the dark, but also scared that if I had a nightlight then I'd wake up and see the glow and think it was a fire. I was stuck. But once I got older it's very rare for me to have bad dreams, and even if they are bad, they rarely have that horrible panic feeling to them.

I did have some bad dreams after the theater shooting. There was another shooting today in a mall in Portland. My friend Jenna was there and had planned to be in the mall at that time, but was running behind schedule and they were still next door eating lunch when they saw everyone running out screaming. So glad she wasn't in there. The last update I heard, two people were killed and one in critical condition, and seven injured, and the gunman dead--some witnesses say he killed himself, though the police aren't saying yet. It could have been so much worse, though. He fired about 60 shots and then the automatic weapon jammed, and it stopped him.

I've been missing in action here again, primarily because of my sleep. I'm needing four hour naps in the middle of the day, and even then only forcing myself out of bed because I have things to do. I saw a sleep specialist last week and was very thankful to find someone who actually listened and cared, and was interested in more than just apnea, which has been ruled out. So far I've been seeing insomnia people because I wake often, and I used to have trouble sleeping. But he said since I fall back asleep right away and my sleep study showed I'm going into deep sleep right away and getting plenty, that it's a hypersomnia issue, which is a completely different ballpark.

So he scheduled some blood tests and then set up another sleep study. This one will be another night one with even more tests done (I don't know how you can trump the bajillion wires and probes I had last time!) but then I'll stay the whole next day too, and have my brainwaves monitored while I'm awake and then during naps. They are looking for narcolepsy or another thing I forget the name of. I'm pleased that Medicare will cover the costs of the study completely, so hopefully it'll turn out that all the years of work to get on it will pay off.

I've also been losing weight, though, and am lower than I have been in a long time, and the sleep issue seems to be getting increasingly worse, so I'm wondering if it could be something different than narcolepsy, like adrenal failure or something... I guess that's a common risk with my disease. I have a phone appointment with my specialist back east on Thursday, so between that and the sleep study, hopefully they'll figure it out.

I'm ready to get my days back. So frustrating to waste so much of it sleeping, especially when I wake up still exhausted. But if I just try to push through and not nap, then I start falling asleep in the middle of things, and not being able to stay alert while I'm driving, so I have to give in and sleep.

I did make/let myself stay up last night to rework a scene to bring to critique group. I haven't written since doing that for last month. But I was more pleased with the result this time. When Randy Ingermanson's first comments were just about misspelling, I knew I'd done well. But then he said he thought that was the strongest piece of writing I'd ever brought in, and given that he's given me pretty high praise for some things in the past, that's pretty encouraging. Maybe I can actually do this novel thing. I know I can write short stories, but the verdict is still out on novels.

But between the sleep problem and spending a lot of time with Andy, I don't have much left for writing. But today was my last day of work for almost a month, so maybe that will help some.

[JesusPuppy]

Losing weight..? You are already like a toothpick, what's next.. hair thin stick person. Maybe if you lost it in hieght it wouldn't be so bad. I mean, you know how I am about short peoples.

Will keep the prayers going on the sleep thing, maybe with the new doctor joined in they can figure something out.

One week plus til the "End of the age," and I am all set. Come on aliens, I want my spaceship.

[Allison]

Oh, Amy, I'm SO happy to hear that you have a doctor who's listening to you about all your sleep issues! This sounds like JUST the thing you need. Even if you do have to endure another sleep test with a bajillion wires attached to you. I will be praying it shows something!

[Shann]

Just popping in to say a quick howdy. I'm proud of myself. I managed to go to Bible Study on Monday, the church Christmas party last night and met my sister and then went shopping today. Once I get out, I'm fine but getting out is the hard part. I came super close to cancelling all three times but am so glad I didn't. I've spent the last couple of hours catching up with Lydia. She's home until mid Jan and she is so funny. She tends to be a little hyper and chatty not sure where she gets it from

Amy, I haven't heard about the shooting in the news. I'm sure it was mentioned but then I've been out gadding about the countryside. I'm so glad your friend wasn't there.

So we extended the kids'writing contest to the 31 so everyone tell anyone who has or knows of kids from 7 to 14 to come check it out and enter!

Off to bed. Hugs

[Shann]

Oops I came in to say, I heard from Laura. She seems to be doing better somewhat physically though could still use our prayers for other things and I wanted to tell her HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

[Ms. Barbie]

Amy, I'd be glad to share some of my weight! Oh, if only there was a market for excess skin. Since I've lost weight, excess skin is just hanging around.


Shann, I'm thrilled that you are getting out and about! God Job.

[Shann]

Barb, I've already yelled at Amy. One of my good friends says that whenever someone loses a pound someone else has to gain it so there aren't all these globs of fat floating about. I've been gaining what she has been losing!

On a much more somber note, I'm horrified about what happened in Conn. today. With tears overflowing, I called my son and wanted to know how someone could do such a thing. As horrible as high school or college shootings are, I can kind of wrap my head around it, but kindergartners? It wasn't until just know while I was writing that I noticed my question wasn't How could God allow such a thing. I'm sure there are many people asking that and I don't have that question bouncing about my head. I'm not sure why other than I know as heartsick as it makes me, God is feeling the pain in a totally different level than anyone--even the parents can imagine.

This is a good time though to remember loved ones and how blessed I am to not only have one amazing family but two--I love you all so much and each one of you has brought something meaningful into my life. I never dreamed I would be this blessed by friends like you!

Lastly, the kids writing contest as been pushed back to a deadline of Dec 31 so if you know any kids--encourage them to enter!

[lauralnm]

I too was absolutely overwhelmed with the news of the massacre in Connecticut. Right before I learned of this tragedy, I was complaining about the chaos my life and home seem to be in right now. Shame on me! This tragedy made me realize how our little, petty, daily complaints are miniscule in comparison to something of this magnitude! Just like 9-11, this has taken me to my knees and through my tears, I cry out... GOD HELP US!!!

[deejay]

Yesterday morning, I woke up and the big news item was a 6.5 earthquake west of Cataline Island; no, I didn't feel it. I had a short day at work, came home to find the horror in CT in the news. This morning I saw the picture of the murderer; he looked totally spaced out. Well, he's facing God's judgment for this now. But imagine the parents who lost kids --forgive me if I sound lame--if they had already bought presents for the children they lost, what's going to happen to those gifts? Hopefully they will be donated to a good cause. But can you imagine the tears that will be shed on Christmas day when the little ones aren't there to open and enjoy those gifts?

[JesusPuppy]

It is sickening what happened in that school. The death of children is a sad thing at any time, but at the hands of a crazed man with a gun...? My prayers have definitely been going up for the families there. So sad.

On the bright side.....

we only have couple days before the aliens attack.