hello, all! this is annie, posting for mother-dear. see below for pictures...

this a picture of mom's late left eye, and superimposed atop her iris, i've included the colors of her turquoise ring. this, friends, is what we're aiming for. plus a few gold flecks along the edge.

if you're wondering how the hell this works, visit these links. it's an incredibly interesting process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPA8jkr-Keg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB5wTYNscWs

yesterday, we visited waukazoo for the first time since my mom's car accident, and she was treated like a regular celebrity. she is so thankful to have such a supportive group of coworkers and such wonderful students (i am too. thanks, everyone). she was able to remove her eye patch and show the kids her "zombie eye," as i like to call it. they were very engaged, curious, and only slightly creeped out!

mrs. art gets mobbed, and welcomes it!

more hugs

a synchronized group hug in mrs. gundrum's classroom

mrs. art tells mr. lyon's classroom about her eye

last night, mark vandenbosch stopped by our house and offered mom some encouraging words and a shoulder to cry on. thank you, mark. and, you know. thanks to bella too.

and, finally, as i'm writing this, heidi and amy, fellow west ottawa art teachers, are paying us a visit.

CAT scan is ok

Hi, Guys,

I got a call from Dr. Lowry's office-the neurosurgeon who treated my concussion. He feels that there is nothing new going on in my noggin that might cause me trouble.  The vertigo was apparently just one of those things and I have only felt slight symptoms since, so it looks like I am on the mend there as well as everywhere else. I also met with Daniel as usual this week and we discussed my recovery and my feelings surrounding returning to work with different vision and after a month away.  I am really sort of nervous about being able to do my job well and just apprehensive about how it will be. Here at home, in my little cocoon, it is easy to feel secure, but getting back out there in the world sometimes sounds a little daunting! 

Good news about driving--I can! I called the Secretary of State's office about my re-eval, which has not been scheduled yet. I was under the impression from the good sheriff who visited me after the accident that I was not to be driving until that was done, but I learned that I can indeed drive in the meantime. So, I took Annie and I to my Dr. appt this morning and it really did feel fine. The new mirrors that Deborah installed in my Rav work beautifully!

I got an adorable Beanie Baby Pug delivered to my door today from our wonderful Waukazoo custodian Rhonda. Thank you, girl, and please know that I miss your smiling face very much. For those of you who don't know her, Rhonda is possibly the best custodian who ever lived.

Right up there with Sue Nykamp!:)

Also, recieved a basket of goodies from my Elementary Art Amigos (oh, do they ever know what I like!) and they are coming to visit after school tomorrow.  It will be good to be with them again.

My friends Lori and Mark will be getting me to and furrom a meeting tonight so that I can have someone in the car when I do my first night-driving.  My program friends are pretty amazing.

thanks as always for your support....I just realized I didn't even mention my eye in this post. That is because it is just getting so much better, and I also forget about it for long stretches the past few days. Wow, what a blessing that is!

Monday, Monday

Things are not the same without my darling Deborah here...her sunshine really is a tonic to all around her! 

Woke up from a very sound sleep this morning with only a little morning ache but feel the need to do nothing today other than read and watch movies. We are plowing through the OCEANS movies and are almost at the end of 13. (so far I like it the best. Oh, and what happened to Brad Pitt--didn't he used to be a hottie? I think Don Cheadle is cuter now....boy, am I getting old or what?)

If you are around Waukazoo this week, please stop in and give Ken Newton a hug and some chocolate. He is doing an outstanding job, and he has gone way beyond the call of duty of a guest teacher.

To my teacher buds, good luck with conferences tonight. Know that I am always thinking about you guys. I looked through my books and cards from you  all last night and it is quite a feeling to be this loved. I feel like I have a big beautiful Waukazoo blanket wrapped around me!

Sunday Night update!

Hi, Everybody! 

Deborah left today and is on her way back to Port St. Lucie as I write this. Annie and I bid her a tearful farewell and will miss her so much. We have already made plans to be together in June and look forward to seeing her in North Carolina, along with Frank and Abigail.

Before Deborah left, I took the car out for some practice, and I am pleased to tell you that I did not crash into anything and managed to park a couple of times--of course, no other cars around, but still, it was easier than I thought and I am relieved already. I love the new car and the special mirrors we installed are awesome. Not a blind spot anywhere.

I'll be mostly home this week again and then start back to work the following week. My eye continues to improve daily-today even less of a color show and my eyelid is about half open now, revealing the interesting cyborg eye inside.... it's nice to have my eye opening up and to feel it blinking.

Saw some friends this morning at a meeting, several of whom are cancer survivors. They are all happy and healthy and their energy and attitudes are a tonic for me.

hope all are well....

love,

claudia

This is Ken Lentz, my friend and hair guru for the past 23 or so years, who helps me to still feel beautiful no matter what! This is my "pre-op" haircut. Ken also cut my kids' and sister-in-law's hair post-op!

my first painting!

This painting is of the flowers that the gang at Dr Stout's dentist office sent me. No shortage of inspiration around here, thanks to you guys....thanks again, Jan, for getting me back to my art.

saturday feb 23-feelin' groovy

so happy to tell you that the vertigo wound up being a one day thing--friday morning I had my sea legs again. still am having a CT scan next week just to make sure that the little bleeder from the accident isn't making trouble somehow, but I feel really good today.  Hard to believe that it hasn't even been two weeks yet. this morning I did some simple yoga stretches and it felt great.  Still need to be careful to keep my head above my heart (and y'all know how hard that is for a hippie girl like me :)) but overall starting to feel some energy and stamina and trying to be careful to remember that the reason this is the case is that I have been taking it easy. Deborah is good at gently reminding me to back off and sit down and take care of myself. She is leaving tomorrow, on the jet plane out of GR, and back to Port St Lucie, Fla, where her fab hubsie Frank is waiting, as well as her awesome daughter, my neice Abigail, who is kicking some serious butt in horse shows over the past few days. Thanks, you guys, and thanks to Holy Family Catholic Church for living without Deborah for the past two weeks.  I know I keep saying this but she really has been a gift. We have enjoyed being together so much. We have known each other for 30 years and friendships like this do not grow on trees. don't know how I got so lucky.

Deborah and I had lunch with my ex Mark and he gave me Lance Armstrong's book, ITS NOT ABOUT THE BIKE, about his battle with cancer. I also recieved an inscribed copy of a book about the Detroit Tigers from his son Ben, who is seven and also a Pudge Rodriguez fan. Thank you Hagar men for the thoughtful gifts.

Deborah and I continued our eating and socializing spree by going to a meeting at the Grand Haven Alano Club and I was able to see my friend Lori, an awesome and beautiful woman who has always been an inspiration to me and a bunch of other old timer buddies who I have had the privilege of staying sober with over a number of years.  It was great to have that fellowship again. As many of you know I am a proud member of AA and am eternally grateful for the new life the fellowship has given me.

We also went to Carolyn's for dinner, and Bobbi and Kathy were there, too, as well as the Cutest Couple Ever, Stephanie and Brian.

Today we went to Barb and Joe's and played Wii bowling, which was so much fun.  I will tell you that if you have one eye, playing the tennis or baseball is a BAD IDEA. Anyway, it was so much fun.

Jan stopped by this afternoon with a gift-a set of watercolors and a pad of paper. It is one of those tiny little sets that you can take anywhere. She has given me an assignment to paint and to put the colors I am seeing on paper. As any of you who ever had Jan for an art teacher knows, you do what you are told or else! :) thank you, friend, for helping me to remember what is important....

love you guys....sleep well. thanks for caring.

Pathology

All -

Good news!  The pathology report came back and it seems that all is well and the cancer has not spread!  Dr. Aaberg's team has sent the information along to Emory for a second opinion, just to be sure.

We are all greatly relieved.

a quote

See how the fearful chandelier

trembles above you

Each time you open your mouth

to sing. Sing.

-Donald Justice

ok, can you stand this?