Linking up with Kendra at Catholic All Year for her weekly feature: Answer Me This.
Before that... let me tell you about my graceful swift descent to the floor yesterday morning... that's right, all (undisclosed number) pounds of me went from vertical to horizontal in one hot, painful second. I landed mostly on my left knee but any sudden jolt to my spine is not just painful, it's dangerous. I've been in much more pain since then but the scariest part is the new spots of numbness. My spinal stenosis means that there are nerves that are always close to being compressed. Falling changed that delicate environment back there and I'm having wicked muscle spams and twitches that are brand spanking new to this game. The pain is standard operation procedure around here. The numbness is usually *mostly* avoidable as long as I don't stand too long or sit upright compressing the nerves. Since yesterday, I can't find a position where I don't go numb. It stinks.
Anyways. So there's that. I also received an anonymous donation from a blog reader that was sent through my mom. I don't know who you are but I thank you very much for your generosity. My parents have gone over and above in making sure I not only have everything I need but also pretty much anything I want. I thought that once the money ran out I would be devastated and honestly, I haven't missed out on anything. However... being able to have a little jingle in my pocket to help pay for meds and doctor appointments and all that jazz lifts a burden of guilt off my shoulders so thank you, whoever you are. I pray that God returns your gift to you ten fold!
I was too lazy/tired/doped up on pain meds to add photos to this blog entry so I'm posting a picture of my very handsome oldest child and his furbabies. I miss you, Boo! Love you!
Now... on to those probing questions:
1. What’s your favorite thing on YouTube?
Hands down, no contest, my favorite YouTube videos are the ones that Alfie Boe and Matt Lucas made together. Alfie is the gorgeous English tenor who played Jean Valjean in the 2010 25th anniversary presentation of Les Mis. If you search for him you will find an 11 minute clip of the sitzprobe for the musical and you will find out why I love his voice.
If you can find the video of Alfie Boe and the very, very funny Matt Lucas doing basically a karaoke version of "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother". Basically anything that shows Alfie and Matt together is hilarious. If you need a pick-me-up, these two are better than any drug.
2. Who taught you to drive?
Welll.... you see.... at fifteen we didn't own a vehicle that was automatic and I didn't have the guts to drive a stick. By the time I was seventeen I was dating my first husband and he drove everywhere. Then I got pregnant and I was too afraid of doing something that would harm my baby. And then I had Ryan and felt this huge burden of mortality and didn't want to learn to drive then. Long story short... I got my license when I was 21 by the skin of my teeth and the grace of a small town examiner but I didn't really drive until I was 28. It was a slow, slow process. Nobody REALLY taught me to drive. My first husband, maybe, just a little but really I was self-taught. I'm 46 and I've never gotten a ticket or been in an accident where I was at fault so... my method is apparently effective.
3. What’s your favorite thing to cook?
4. Are you a hugger or a non-hugger? Why?
I am a hugger of those who like to be hugged. My youngest son is not a hugger so I don't press him to do it. My niece Sarabeth will suffer a hug but she doesn't hug back so I tease her and say, "you're just suffering through it, HUG ME BACK!". My Jamie doll and her mama are both the sweetest huggers in my life and I don't know what I would do without those hugs. They sustain me. I was raised in a non-hugging family and Angie (my sis-in-law) turned us into huggers. She has added so much to our family over the years but hugs are probably the best thing she has given us.
5. Where do you pray best?
In my car. When I worked every drive to work (and many drives home) were a constant conversation with God. It was the perfect time because I was uninterrupted. Now I have so much time on my hands but I don't have any disciplined moment of the day for prayer. Typically now it comes when I take a sunshine break on the back patio or when I'm drying my hair (because nobody talks to you when you're drying your hair.) I need to be more consistent with my time alone with God.
6. When is the last time you saw/spoke to your grandparents?
Granddaddy Pennington (mom's dad) passed away in June 1978 from brain cancer. I was staying with them off and on while he was sick and we had a lot of conversations - not about death - but about how many cartwheels I could do and that sort of thing. He went into the hospital a couple of weeks before he died and I never saw him then, nor did I go to his funeral. The hope was that by not being exposed to those things, I would only remember him well and for the most part, that's true. He was a very special man to me.
Grandma Pennington died in May of 1998. I'm not sure when my last conversation with her was. I don't even know if I went to the hospital during her last hospitalization because by that time I had three kids and a less than cooperative husband.
Granddaddy Gant left the family in the early 50's and no one heard from him again after that. By the time we tracked him down he had been dead for several years. He was very interested in theatre and had a interior design job and I think I would have been able to find common ground with him if I had ever met him.
Grandma Leta is still living. I got a card from her last week thanking me for my hard work on our genealogy and managing her archives. She sent me a little check (which I passed on to my dad to help cover some of the money he's spending on me). She also gently reminded me that she was still waiting on me to complete the DAR applications for the five new DAR ancestors I've located. Dad lost the forms but I didn't want to rat him out to his mom so I'm going to see if I can find them online.
And that's all I've got, y'all. If you'd like to chime in and answer any/all of these questions to post on your blog (or my blog, if you like) or on facebook or whatever. I love feedback however it comes!
Hope you all had a great weekend. Love and hugs, y'all!
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