Blogazine Guest Anni!

Brrrrr it's cold outside.....I know I live in the South so what do I know about cold. But right now I am wrapped up in a quilt with a cup of hot chocolate trying to get warm. Can not wait for my room upstairs to be finished where it will be nice and warm. Took some photo's today so I will share what I have done on my next post. When I ever finish it will be a complete redo of what I use now for the attic. In the ole farm house there are no closets so this poor room has collected all kinds of my junk. Some of it will stay like all the wicker but a lot will have to find a new home. Stay tuned for what I have been up too the last month. You will be surprised at what I am using on the walls or in this case the ceilings.

Tonight though I have another friend that sent me her story. Remember I gave you a hint that she was a hoot well it's Anni from the site Hootin Anni's. Just click on her site name and it will take you to her site of course after you read her story.

 You will enjoy getting to know Anni and her stories on her site make me want to move to the coast again like she has done.

Sit back enjoy meeting another blogging buddy who has quite the story to tell. Please welcome my next Blogazine Guest and let her know how glad you are to meet her.

I guess the best way to begin is by telling you I was the last of five children born to my parents who, at the time, resided in Nebraska.  Most memory of living in Nebraska has faded.  Except I do remember one thing...in the late summer, I would disappear from inside, only to be found with my stolen salt shaker from the kitchen --in the tomato patch [acres],,,just sitting in the dirt, next to all the ripening tomatoes, munchin' away at those ruby red fruits, and enjoying my summertime; alone with something I loved.  At the age of six I was going to school in Colorado.   Growing up in the foothills just north of Denver Colorado didn't give me much of a chance in my youth to do much exploring of life as I lived far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Life was mundane in the foothills.

I attended school and did my assigned chores...all the while, becoming a tom boy.  Being the youngest girl in the family I was probably spoiled, tho I think not.  While my older siblings would tell you otherwise.  My youngest, older, brother, by the time I became a teenager, was into cars. Literally following his footsteps, I too became interested in cars...learning how to change spark plugs, oil and oil filters, timing the pistons etc.,  and the two of us would oftentimes drive to a small race track in a town called Erie...to race on the track.  It was thrilling and heart-stomping scary all at the same time.  When my brother went off to join the Army, I inherited his souped up '63 Chevy with mag wheels and pin-stripes and drove it to school [and eventually to work].   Yes, the cops knew the two of us by our first names!!  I, too, knew them by their given names.  Today in my mind, that is nothing to be proud of, but back then...I was cool!!

My first job where I'd make my own money was babysitting, but through school, I was interviewed one summer during  vacation at the Chamber of Commerce close to our area, and the staff liked me.  I was hired part time.


 My junior and senior year, with all my required courses taken and given a 4.0 average in my sophomore year -- the state still required that I graduate with my class.  So, I had to attend school anyway instead of getting my diploma early; signing up for three elective classes in the morning, and driving to work in the afternoon until 5 pm.  During the summer in my Junior year, I worked full time at the Chamber.  After graduating, I took a month off and spent the time in our country's capital...Washington D. C.  At that time, I became highly interested in politics.  To this day, I still follow it.  Returning to Colorado late in the summer of '67 I continued working full time.  Winter was becoming a 'down time' for me.  I really started to dislike the long cold months.  I longed for a warm tropical beach.  Then, one day in February of 1968, I cheated death.  In fact, my mother and brother were also involved.  We all woke up one morning ill.  I called in sick from work, as did my brother; my dad was too proud to adhere to the whims of headache and stomach pains -  he went to work!  Mom, my brother and I went back to bed.  By 11:30 in the morning, the next thing I knew, I was being  shaken...to get me awake.  There were paramedics, and even our family doctor was there...they were examining me, while my dad was frantically running through the house, opening all the windows in the dead of winter, where outside temps were below zero.  All three of us were found  unconscious...I in my bed, as was my brother, my mother was found in the hallway, passed out.   We had been gassed!!  Carbon Monoxide poisoning from the furnace. If my father had stayed in town for his lunch hour instead of coming home to eat, I wouldn't be here.  The three of us  who stayed home, were this close to dying. 

And this brings me to Bud.  I had a boyfriend, he was in Viet Nam.  We agreed that I should see other guys while he was deployed...I being young and full of raging hormones thought that was mighty kind of him!   Altho, if my mother were still here, she'd say I was truly in love.  My father, tho, didn't approve of this guy...Frank.  So life was a bit on the side of turmoil between my father and me at that time.   My mom...she understood and consoled me during those days.   But I digress---
You see, there was this huge newspaper article written about our encounter with death.  Bud read about it.  My name and face, he knew;  he knew of my existence, but we'd never met.  Yet!!  I too knew he existed...you see his CAR was something I liked.  A red, fast, sports car.  Oh and his looks were 'to die for' handsome!  Dark hair, tall.  But I figured he was married, so, never pursued the flirtations with him.  Besides, I was Frank's girl!!  To make a long story on how I <strike>reeled Bud in</strike> captured the  love of my life, Bud read the article, talked to his friends about me until he found out where I lived at the time, and called me.  We made a date on March 9th and that night after wining and
dining me at a posh restaurant, he said "I think I'm falling in love".  Frank was always on my mind, but he soon found out that Bud and I were to wed that May.  I felt guilty and forlorn that I hurt the guy of my teenaged fantasies.   Yes, that's all within three months of  my first date with Bud.  By August, I was pregnant.  In fact, the day I came home from the OB/GYN after testing positive with my first pregnancy, Frank was there.  He was on leave.  He had to meet Bud,  the man who stole my heart away from him...the two were very grown up about it all...they talked, I listened.  I talked, they listened.  When it was time for him to leave, I walked with him to his car, we hugged and said our good-byes...that was the last time I saw him alive.  By Autumn, he was killed in action.  To this day, I think of him and what life may have been  like, if fate hadn't intervened.  And yes, I still miss him.  Bud understands my times of sorrow when his name comes up.

Now to my family life...my own family.  From the time of my youth, I dreamed of having a home, a husband, and two children.  A boy and a girl.  I accomplished that.  I was privileged to have a husband that provided enough income for me to be a stay at home mom.  I raised the two kids the best I knew how, and when our youngest, born three years after our first born, was going to school for the entire day, I returned to work; working as a superintendent at a local high school office ---having the summers off when the kids were home.  We traveled a lot...across the USA, and several times we'd fly to Old Mexico - on the beaches and resorts.  I also made time to take some college courses in psychology and psychiatry.  Science, art, and crafts  have always been  my biggest interests.  Sketching and painting I've done most of my life as soon as I could hold a brush or pencil...crocheting became something self taught after my mother showed me how to chain stitch.

In the interim,  Irene, our oldest --graduated and left home for Florida, only to return to Colorado and home by that December.  She moved in with Dan and our first grandson was born.

  Born with Down Syndrome, he too cheated with death.  After Irene fed Clint [5 months old ] he died in her arms...Irene resuscitated him...got the flight for life to get him to a Children's hospital in Colorado Springs...they found a hole in Clint's heart - operated on him, saved his life!!  It has been an uphill battle for his survival with many close calls. 

 Irene's family relocated to a lower elevation, eventually moving to Missouri, and our now 21 year old grandson thrives.  And to think, the specialists told us all that day  back in '89; after five month old Clint's open heart surgery, that he'd not live to see his fifth birthday!!  While all this was happening in our lives, our youngest, Erik, joined the Marine Corps.  His travels through this experience took him to Japan,  Okinawa - serving in the Gulf War era - and eventually stationed in Pearl Harbor Hawaii.    

Those courses I took  in mental health, helped me land a full time job.  I became the head patient  corridinator and office manager of a large firm of psychiatric care.  I worked there until Bud retired. 

Upon retiring, and after my parents passed away, we decided that this is our opportunity to get out of the harsh winters, away the snowy country of the Rocky Mountains for good!!  The two of us enjoyed the desert life around the Tucson Mountains in Arizona for a decade, until my heart was broken.  Well, broken to the point that one day I experienced a heart rate of 252 beats a minute.  Cardiologists returned my heart rhythm  to 70 beats per minute with what I call a miracle drug injection.  But, the problems with my ticker remained and I spent many a days in the ER with a 'tachy' heart.  I saw a specialist at that point in my life and he suggested an operation that at the time was still quite 'experimental'...that word, experimental scared the crap out of me!!  I opted for taking medications for my entire life instead.  Up until the medications didn't help.  By that time, we had relocated to the beach...a dream life for me.  As I stated at the beginning, I love being on the beach listening to the gentle surf and just enjoying the ambiance and how the sounds of the waves draw me into such a serenity that I don't want to leave.  Anyway, once again, I was having frequent episodes of tachycardia and once again, I was referred to an electrophysiologist who performs heart ablations.  I was ready to have it done.  And I'm glad I did. 

I'm still here, and enjoying being with my Bud after 43+ years together after our whirl-wind romance in the Spring of 1968...and blogging about it.

Thanks

Anni

Anni I enjoyed reading your story so much and I appreciate you honey taking the time to write this and share it with all of us. 

I know it takes a lot of time for you to write these stories but gosh look how much fun they are when everyone gets to know more about you. What a great time I am having with these stories. I have another guest waiting in line and you will really like getting to know her as well. Creative is her middle name.

Did you catch the story Dr. Kathy McCoy shared as my previous guest. If you did not be sure and visit her post too.

I promise to catch up with posting all my guest in the Blogazine Hall of Fame at the top of this site real soon. Hopefully this week. I know you have heard that before but I promise to take the time to do it.

Now I have to put some more marshmellows in my hot chocolate so I will see you soon with pictures of my room. Oh no that's right I started the diet thing with Susan from Art of Mine so I guess she might be reading this so Ok no more marshmellows.

Sweet Dreams

Maggie