Tune-In Tuesday: June 21

Hey everybody! It's Tuesday again. :) It still remains a "tune-in" as opposed to a "turn-it-up" Tuesday as I have not turned the deep brain stimulation device up any. Oh how I really, really want to though! But I'll remain at 4.00 volts until July 5 (if I've calculated that right), to see if that setting does anything. As of now, it hasn't. I get impatient at times, but I know I have to do what the doctor says to do, so that means I have to wait. Isn't that what God says too sometimes?! Ahh....I'm being taught so much in this process. God knew that the only way to grow me in the patience department was to make it mandatory and forced! I can be very stubborn (if you haven't already picked up on that!). Sometimes mandatory and forced is the only way I learn. To reiterate though, I haven't seen any improvements or any new changes. I'm still waiting on my miracle. :) And, yes, in my heart of hearts (despite the doubt sometimes), I do believe I will walk again without a cane or walker. My faith is only growing stronger through all of this. God knows what He's doing and He's got this!

A funny thing happened to me this past week. Actually, it happened twice. I blame it on exercise and not being awake. :) I exercise on a stationary bike twice during the week and twice on the weekend. I kid you not, Tuesday and Thursday of this past week, I got up early to work-out before work and both days, I got in the shower and used BODY WASH on my hair as shampoo. But not before washing my hair with actual shampoo. So, I had to wash my hair TWICE. It didn't happen on any other day of the week except the two that I got up extra early to work-out, which is why I'm blaming it on exercise!

This past week, I also made chocolate chip cookies. There's nothing special in and of that, except to say that I had not made them since before my surgeries and my co-workers were begging me for them. There is nothing special about my cookies. I use the recipe on the back of the Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips I buy to put in the cookies. But my co-workers love them and I love that they love them. My co-worker, Austin, made the comment before I had any brain surgery, that he and the rest of my co-workers were fine with me having deep brain stimulation surgery on one condition: that the neurosurgeon not touch the part of my brain that allowed me to make chocolate chip cookies. So I made them and the verdict was that they may be even better than they were before I had brain surgery. Score one for me!

I was having a difficult time walking on Sunday afternoon, but I went to Kroger anyway because I needed to pick up some groceries. As I was walking back to my car, a man asked if I needed help. I guess it was quite obvious that I was having problems! I kindly said no. Then he asked if I had a faulty wheel on my grocery cart, to which I responded, "no, I have a faulty leg." This made him slightly giggle. I told him that the cart was the only thing keeping me upright at the time. On a different note, but in the same vein...I have a brilliant idea. Why don't all grocery stores put the cart receptacles right next to handicapped parking? It would "kill two birds with one stone": 1) People like me would be able to grab onto the cart and not have to use a cane or a walker to get to a cart, only to have to walk back to the car to dump off the walker. 2) There would be less carts in random parking spots or all over the parking lot itself because people like me would actually return it to the receptacle because it's right there! I know. I'm brilliant! Now, who do I talk to about making this change?!! :)

This week hasn't been without bumps and bruises. I scored this bruise by somehow tripping over my own walker and hitting my heel on either the walker or the refrigerator (I can't remember what I actually hit!).

Then today, I notice this bruise and I have no idea where it came from! But I have run into a million things this past week, so I'm not surprised it's there.

I have to say that I thought it was pretty cool that my neurosurgeon allowed me to get a picture of myself and him in the OR, but a church friend of mine, Brad, sent me a link to a YouTube video of awake brain surgery. This guy (Charles Trippy) was allowed to film his entire brain surgery and put it up on YouTube. No fair!! :) Haha. Actually, I think it's entirely fair, because he was having a brain tumor removed. So, the surgery was not entirely the same as mine. Thank you, Lord that I don't have a brain tumor or cancer! However, the video was fascinating to me because some of the same things that went on in his video went on in my surgery. If you like this kind of stuff, you should look Charles Trippy up on YouTube.

My "real hair" growth is coming along. There were a few times this past week that I thought I could go out without the wig, but then I chickened out. ;) Someone (who saw my real hair) told me that a lot of people cut their hair that short on purpose. I totally respect that and I think short hair looks great on some people, but I'm just not there yet! I like the security the wig brings me. ;) But, one of these days, I will surprise people. I will go into work or church without the wig. But for now, you'll have to be content with just seeing a picture of me on here.

I'll close today's post by reiterating that I know God has a plan and I know that it's good. It might not be exactly my plan, but I know that His plan ALWAYS trumps my plan. He is a good, good God and I see that every day in every way. God's Got This!!!