#ShannonStrong2020

So, here's the thing. Most people don't think this is normal. But I do. I have a great deal of photos of Shannon in a variety of adult onesies pajamas. She wears them with pride. Tiger, Batman, Unicorn...she doesn't care who sees her in them. I have very fond memories of a trip to Home Depot several years back. I told Shannon we needed to go there, she put on her high tops. I asked if she was staying in the car, and she said "No! I''m not ashamed Mom. Are you?" "You do you, Shannon." So off we went. When people looked at her weird as she walked down the store aisles, she gave them a look like THEY were the one dressed different. It was very entertaining to watch. Fast forward to the last few weeks. I've had a LOT of odd conversations with Shannon. Phantom bacon eating, thinking some strange people are in her room trying to kill her, asking what she's doing with all the pot(s) in her room when the plants die.....So today, when she s...

I've been a hold a LOT lately. I mean, a good 10% of my life might be spent on hold. I've learned a lot about hold. First of all, there is a time continuum that exists. "Can I put you on a brief hold?" Doesn't sound ominous- but, it can be. What you thought was a short duration of time becomes a long period of time, disrupted by someone coming back to give you false hope of an end to your not short duration. Turns out they are just confirming you are still there. They use terms like "sorry for the continued wait, do you mind if I put you on hold for another minute?" They know you have no choice. They know that you need to have help or you wouldn't be on hold. And that's how they keep you there. No one gets up in the morning, and while deciding what to do today chooses HOLD. The next thing you know, in your world you've been on hold for over an hour, and in their world..wherever that world is, you've been on hold for 3-5 minutes. The...

I know there are angels watching over us, and maybe for Shannon they are leaning in a bit too close. I'm willing to guess that with all the Disney movies she's been watching lately, one of them has had a hand on her shoulder leaning over to see her tiny screen and enjoy the show.  That's my guess on where her shoulder pain is coming from. Shannon is enjoying writing up her own tale of her day, so I'll let her share those details. One thing I wanted to add on to yesterday's update is about the letters she mentioned. She sent me a photo of her holding about 10 letters in her hand- that all came yesterday. She was SO excited- and overwhelmed by the gesture. I keep telling her that so many people are praying for her, are concerned about her, and yesterday she saw that in her mail. Keep sending them. Tomorrow is her 4 week mark at Magee, and if they are able to keep her as long as they want to, it's the halfway mark. Shannon isn't excited about being the...

The real crazy has begun. We are in full "pick out all the stuff for the basement right this second so we can keep moving on this project" mode. It's pretty stressful. If present Kim could talk to past Kim, she would tell her to get a degree in interior design, as well as a nursing degree, and project management. Oh, and also basics of home remodeling would be nice to add while I am at it. But, future me forgot to tell past me. So her I am all unprepared for this. I wrangled Rachael into pretending with me that we know what we are doing and we braved Home Depot in search of tile, flooring, bathroom fixtures, and the like. Adventure. I would love to say we figured it all out. But that would be a lie, and the Blue Fairy said that "a lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face." I don't need that right now so I'll stick with the facts. I'm super lame at all of this. As for Shannon's day, well, today your up...

It's been a super long time since I've felt like I had absolutely nothing to do, have been bored out of my mind, stuck in the same place without any ability to DO anything I want to do. I felt that way when I broke my foot and had already watched everything that looked interesting, and also with every one of my confined to a sofa pregnancies. With all the crazy we are dealing with, a fresh batch of boredom sounds almost refreshing right now, but I wouldn't welcome it if I had it. I'm sure there are a lot of people right now who can relate to the bored-out-of-my-mind sentiment though. Shannon's Sunday's are like that. She's stuck in a box- her room, isolated from everyone and everything. Sure, no therapies mean no work and she can get much needed rest. She tells me she just stares at the walls all day. Rest can make you restless for something- ANYTHING.  Most Sunday's are pretty low-key at our house these days, and we have a lot of time to chat wit...

One of my favorite movies is Ms. Congeniality. There are SO many quotable lines in it. My daughter Rachael reminded me that today is one of my absolute favorite lines:  Stan Fields : Miss Rhode Island, please describe your idea of a perfect date.  Cheryl "Rhode Island" : That's a tough one. I'd have to say  April 25th . Because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket. Unfortunately, I can relate to Cheryl today more than most days lately. I realized the grass was too long and said "no one lawned the grass this week". I've called all of my kids the wrongs names, and forgot that I ate a raspberry lemonade bar that Krisha made- and was upset for a hot second that someone else ate it. Too much going on in my brain, apparently.  Today was a glorious day for Shannon too. She only had one therapy- PT. She practiced her side rolls in her bed, adjusting her legs herself, and other similar things. Yesterday when I was with her, ...

You guys! Today was an amazing day, because, I literally spent the ENTIRE DAY with Shannon!!! She is a complicated woman, and there's a lot to learn about her, so the family training has begun. This was an observation day, which basically means just hanging out in almost hazmat gear watching Shannon and her therapist's banter back and forth in the most sassy of ways. And- I got my very own N95 Mask- which we all know is a hot commodity right now-and a fancy splash guard to....keep...heaven only knows why I need a splash guard. Nothing is splashing around in that room unless Shannon slurps some soda while someone is cracking a joke (it could happen). They are such a hot commodity, I have to reuse the same ones every time I go to in for training, and they have to live at the hospital in a labeled paper bag. I even had to get them checked out of the inventory list. #feelingspecial I learned a lot about Shannon's new daily life. First of all........ I need this cool lift, ...

Wood shop was always Shannon's favorite class in High School (Shout out to Mr. Nowak). She never made the normal projects that the other students made. While they were making puzzles, wall shelves, and step stools, Shannon was making Key Blades. Every Christmas we do a gift exchange within our family. You are assigned a person and you get to make them a gift (the clever name for this exchange is The Make-It Gift).  A couple years ago, Shannon had her nephew for the Make-it Gift. She decided he needed an Motorcycle Rocker. She just knew he needed to have his own set of wheels. It was pretty impressive! Today, Shannon tried out a new set of wheels herself:  Again- I'm so impressed by Shannon. This was her FIRST try in a manual wheelchair. She's just killin' it!  Shannon also did her other therapies today. I didn't get an update today from anyone, so i don't have a lot to share.   Thank you, as always for the many prayers for Shannon. Please p...

She's on a roll, she's having a ball, she's knocking them down, she's winning it, she's rolling with it, she's.....in the gutter? How many bowling related terms can I come up with for this photo? Shannon is doing well today. Not every day can be as exciting as yesterday was, so don't feel the need to apologize for yawning through this update. She really is making great progress and rolling with whatever needs to be done. Shannon woke up, had breakfast, and harassed her therapists (I know this because I watched it happen- the sassy is turned up to 10 now that she has a voice). She had all of her therapy's today. It all seemed pretty normal in the update I got from Renid, but apparently she wasn't present for all the action. Shannon told me she sat in the wheel chair for a while during PT, and her blood pressure plummeted, so they laid her back and it didn't help, and so they sat her up and it dropped more, so they laid her back, and it did...

Every year for our kid's birthday, we take them out on a Mom & Dad date. They get to choose where we go. Some of the picks, depending on the kid and their age, have been Chick fil A, Red Robin, Outback steakhouse, Longhorn Steak House, and Bahama Breeze. But there is a favorite place, and it's not easy to get permission for us to take them there. Fogo de Chao is a Right of Passage restaurant. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a Brazilian Steakhouse where they bring the meat out on swords and cut a piece off for you at your table. You flip a disk on the table from red to green when you want them to bring you meat, and toss it back to red when you can't eat any more. There is also an amazing salad bar. Fantastic, actually. Anyway, back to kids eating. We won't take them until we know they will eat enough food to make it worth the pricey price. Thus- the Right of Passage. (oh boy, there stories to tell you about going to Fogo- it could be a whole new blog)...