Tuesday, September 9, 2008

What's up in our world

When I was a teacher, I made my leadership students keep a journal. Some days, I had a structured topic. I asked a question, read a poem, had them listen to a song, or watched a video clip to prompt their writing. But, what they loved the most, was the free topic of "What's Up in Your World?" letting them share whatever on their mind or recent things going on with them. Here's a little of what's up in our world...



Andrew--well, the man that is allergic to all things around him is continuing to have his twice weekly allergy shots. It's helping, I think. At least, he's still going so it must be doing something. His food allergies are unique in that his body processes them like a seasonal allergy. He is allergic to all raw vegetables, fruit, and nuts. He can't eat a tomato, but spaghetti is no issue. It's weird I tell you.



Things are pretty good with Andrew. He had to work through the night this weekend, which made for a really long Sunday for him. He went to work at 6:30pm Saturday night to take down all the servers and work on some issues and walked into our bedroom at 9:15am the next morning. Maggie and I made sure to be gone for the day, heading out on a girls day with Mom and Mom Mom to let Andrew rest. On Friday, he and our friend Mike went to "First Saturday." Picture a flea market for computer geeks happening at night under a random bridge in Dallas. Oh yeah, that's First Saturday. Mike and Andrew have been going for years as buyers. You never know what kind of deal you can find. For the last two months, Andrew has paid to have a space (which is literally a parking space) to sell some computer equipment. He stays until about 2am and then heads home after selling most of his stuff. I even profited for this month's sale, getting a little money for new clothes! I went once to First Saturday a few years ago. God willing, I will never have to go back!



Me--Work is life these days. I am working an average of 65 hours a week, on a good week. Last week was about that on a four day workweek, and this week won't be pretty at all. Luckily, I can do quite a bit after Maggie goes to bed. My mom is taking her tomorrow night while I go to make a presentation. That way, it isn't a night mom is away but a special date night for her with GaGa and Mom Mom. She LOVES when my mom picks her up!



Other than work? Hmmm.......let's see.....what is going on in my life? Gosh, not much.
Well, maybe a bit. We have our Posse annual BBQ at Jen's Saturday night and I can't WAIT! I haven't told Maggie yet because the idea of being around the babies, Katie, Lucy, AND her man Toots might just be more information than she can handle! I'm really forward to our get together to celebrate our friendship, drink to the success of our 5K (this weekend, hope you're going to be there!), and thank Allie for bringing us all together.



I recently picked up the Twilight series after the recommendation of Jen and Deb. I love to delve into a series of books or dedicate to reading one author at a time. In college, I read nothing but Toni Morrison until I felt I had read the majority of her works. Last year, it was Jodi Picoult, and I can tell you that this MONTH, it's Stephenie Myer with the Twilight books. I say this month because I read the first two of the series this past week and I'm already into book three. Yes, that is during my 65 hour work week! That should be a testament to how much I'm really enjoying this series. Something has to keep me busy until the next Harry Potter movie comes out (since the jerks pushed it from November to June or July and I'm so sad about it!!)



Maggie--oh, the diva. About a week or two ago, she came strutting into the living room naked. She ran her hands down her sides and said, "Look at my body!" Then she stroked her face and said, "Look at my face, I so pretty." Yep, I'm in trouble. She told me recently that she "really likes boys a lot" then preceeded to tell me the names of her FIVE, count them five, boyfriends. Luke, Larissa's son, competes for the number one slot with her man Toots (not his real name).



During our time away from the house on Sunday, we went to the mall with my mom and Mom Mom. We hit the Disney store to help the princess loving little girl make a decision on what costume she would like for Halloween. After I had to place her on the counter for the salesperson to scan her purchase, Cinderella fully dressed in her costume walked the entire mall! It's great when GaGa goes with us--she went home with the dress (bought by me) and the shoes, tiara, and "magic wand" (bought by my mom). One decked out little princess. Though the costume wasn't the cheapest, I have a feeling it is going to get plenty used. She has been alternating between Belle and Cinderella (Belle costume was from Izzy and is a size too big but don't tell Maggie that!) every night. She will do this for hours! Sunday night, she laid out all her costumes, including the ones from her dress up box, on the floor. She then went and got her princess dress up shoes from her closet and paired them up with the correct dress. Then, if she had the corresponding Barbie princess, she laid that on top of the outfit. She danced around and told us all about her costumes and the princesses she loves. This lasted for more than an hour--what entertainment!



Maggie's language is getting so developed! She is one smart little thing, and her verbal skills are definitely showing that off. Some of my favorite words she still says incorrectly are "lasterday" "goggie" and "Seesy Beesy," though she will say Sleeping Beauty if she is concentrating hard enough. My baby will be three soon and I can't believe it! She starts dance class at her school tomorrow and she is so excited.



Next week, we head to the allergist for allergy testing. She is getting a lot of sinus infections and has been struggling with allergy meds since she was an infant. When the pediatrician found out about her shellfish reaction, he decided it was time for us to go through the testing. We let her have a bite of my shrimp about a month ago to see if she really was allergic (had Andrew's epi-pen!). It was more than a year ago that she tried something, so we just weren't sure. She ate one bite of the BREADING, not the shrimp, and was covered in hives for more than 12 hours.



Brandy--that dog is in trouble right now! After spending two horrible weeks tortured with the cone on her head, she had her staples removed last week. We followed the doctor's instructions to keep the cone on for one more day to let the wound heal. We did and then took it off. So what happened? Damn dog knawed her leg raw! So, once again, she's a "buckethead." Andrew and I were so mad at her. She looks miserable that we forced the bucket back on her head, but it's her own darn fault.



Maggie likes to lean in, look into her cone, and yell, "Hi, buckethead!" We hate the cone. She has no spacial depth with the thing on. She runs into stuff, including our legs, and it hurts!



The good news is that her leg is healing really nicely. She is fairing a lot better this time then the last and it hasn't been unbearable. Andrew has been wonderful about walking her most of the time. With her leg the way it is, we decided we couldn't let her go to the groomer to get a haircut. But, oh, she needed it SO BAD! We bought dog clippers last week and decided we were going to do it ourselves. We're idiots. It took us more than an hour tonight to shave her and we're not done!! Now, she doesn't look too bad, but we need to go back and improve her undercoat. Let me tell you, it might have saved us $80 but phew, that was a lot of work! Maggie was alternating between climbing over me while I tried to restrain B or giving her "lobin" to calm the dog down.



Allie--of course, our world does and will always include our Allie. The four year anniversary of her death is this Saturday. She continues to help us do better and better with our 5K event, being held on Saturday. This year, we added online fundraising. It isn't a requirement to participate and never will be, but we decided to add it to allow individuals, teams, and families the opportunity to raise funds should they choose. Our original goal was $10,000 for online fundraising. When we hit $9,000 two weeks ago, we changed it to $15,000. As of five minutes ago, we're now up to $17,859 in online fundraising!! We are so excited. I love watching these numbers climb, thinking of the things I can do to help cancer families with this money. Thank you, Allie!!



I have always believed that Allie's presence is so strong. She speaks to me in ways of her own, reminding me she's around. So, this weekend after having spent time with Crys and Zack, Alexa's parents, and with her anniversary coming up, I had Allie heavy on my mind. So, it should be no suprise that to me that she once again reminded me of her presence on Sunday. At the restaurant during lunch, her song Wonder by Natalie Merchant came on. Faint though it was, I knew it right away and I stopped to listen. At the mall, about to leave, I went off to drive the car around so my grandmother wouldn't have to walk any further. We had just walked out of the Children's Place where a little girl, maybe four or five, was running and laughing by her mother. I thought of Allie. When I got quiet, I noticed that Wonder was playing on the mall sound system. Then, we headed to Target. What do you think was playing on the radio at Target? You guessed it--Wonder. That's my Allie.



Think I will leave you tonight with a little Wonder.



21 comments:

beemama said...

Jenny, what a beautiful update! I was cracking up at Maggie and poor Brandy the Buckethead -- I could just see that scene in my mind!

I haven't had much time for the internet lately, but I just had to come see what you are up to. The Scott family is on my mind. You see, I just got my 3rd call from the marrow registry yesterday. I am a potential match for a 63-year-old woman with AML. That's close to my heart for two reasons. I joined the registry in honor of Allie on her first birthday. And this year, my mom is 63. I have all my fingers and toes crossed that I can be a donor for this woman! The last two times I was a match but they had someone closer. The lady at the NMDP says it's rare for anyone to have this many calls, but she said that the two other times she's seen it happen, the third call's the charm.

So I will be thinking of beautiful Allie tomorrow as I go through the third stage of typing. I hope she watches over me and the woman I might be able to help. She is my inspiration and it would be such an honor to do this in her memory! Thank you for sharing her with us, and thanks to her for inspiring us to share as well . . .

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Jenny,

The day after Allie passed away, I donated blood for the very first time. Today, I received my 1 gallon pin! Because of your girl and my husband, I do this for strangers.

On a side note, Janet Evanovich The Plum series, are awesome!

Dusty

HollyH said...

Jenny- great post! You always leaving me wanting to read more. I could read the Jenny Scott series! (I suppose I have!)

Tracy said...

Jenny- thanks for sharing the video-it really made me understand the true meaning. I have followed you blog for a while-just wnated you to know others, even those that don't know you are thinking of you and we love hearing about your angel Allie.
I have read all the Twilight series-my 15 year old introduced them to me-they are so good-hard to put down.
From Kansas
Tracy

Adrianne said...

Allie was around so much on Sunday because the big Stand Up 2 Cancer Event was all over the TV and I watched it. Thinking of Allie, my MIL and all a those millions of people affected by this horrible disease we call cancer.

Thank you so much for all your tireless effort!!

mydogteaser said...

I have been thinking a lot about Allie this week, too. I heard "Wake Me Up When September Ends" on the radio yesterday and instantly thought of you. We took our son to the zoo on Monday for his birthday and I spent a long time looking at the giraffes and thinking of Allie. I wish you strength this week as you near her anniversary. Your family will be, and always is, in my prayers.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this update! I've had Allie on my mind as well. I've been re-reading your posts on Scotthousehold and cried again. I honestly don't know how you've done it and how you're still doing it. I love how you've turned a tragedy into something so beautiful and helpful to others. I know this is repeating what countless others have said, but I can't help it. I admire you and your family's strength. I wish your organization the best for your 5K on Saturday. I will be thinking of Allie, you, Andrew and Maggie on that day. Thank you for the video!

montague.emily said...

I loved the twilight series-I read the whole thing in a week. I can't wait for the movie to come out in Novemner.

Paige

scook said...

I've been thinking about you so much over the last few weeks. I've heard "I Can Only Imagine" twice on the radio since last Thursday, and that is a song that I do not hear very often. I can't believe it has been four years. I'm so thrilled that HFC is doing so well. Let me know when you want me to quit my job and come work with you. I'm so serious.

I miss you and think of you often. My girls and I will be at the 5K on Saturday.

Staci

Kelly Hermann said...

The Twilight series is so addictive! I read all 4 books within a week because I couldn't put them down. I hope you enjoy them!

Thinking of you and your family this week,
Kelly

runnermom said...

The monarchs seem to be making their way through Oklahoma right now as I have seen a lot of them lately. I can't help but think of Allie when I see one. Wonderful post as always I love keeping up with the Scott family antics. I will be missing you all on Saturday, but my heart will be with all of you. I wish you all the success and a dry day! See you soon,

Erin Oldfield:)

Shiri said...

Jenny,

I just found your blog for the first time, coming over from Minivan Mom. The story of your beautiful girl breaks my heart. I lost friends as a child and as an adult have known those who have lost their children. The thing is, Saturday is my birthday, and so some how I feel connected to your angel. I'll be thinking of you, your girls, and your family on that day.

Crys said...

sweet allie- you should be running and laughing by your mommy's side too. thank you for bringing us together. tell alexa that i love her and i hope you are friends. you are the same age, you know. Alexa didn't have many friends her own age so i bet she likes playing princesses with you.

good luck this saturday, jen! i am amazed by you. thanks for the wonder.

anniemcq said...

tears and laughter. Hugs to you, Jenny.

Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry said...

Allie is so powerful and beautiful, all of the time. You are such a great mother to her, you seem to always notice the signs she sends to you.

You have been on my mind all week long, my thoughts and prayers are with you, today, this weekend, always.

Love to you and your family, and as always, remembering that beautiful angel of yours.

Emily Gore said...

It's the 13th. Already. I just wanted you to know that I am thinking of you all. I miss Allie too. Every year on her anniv and birthday I light an Angel Whispers candle and I send up balloons. (My kids actually love this tradition now!) I have "Wonder" the acoustic version playing as well. Beautiful. I pray for peace for your family. I pray that your hearts will be overflowing with love. I believe she does come to you everyday... I also pray you are safe in the storm. God Bless always

Graycesmomma said...

Thinking of you and your family today. I hope the 5K goes off without a hitch. You are all in my thoughts today. Sending no rain vibes your way from Ohio.

The Nanny said...

Happy Angel Day, sweet Allie-girl...I think of you often and how incredibly you have affected so many people!

Jenny, Andrew & Maggie (and Brandy)--I hope your day is full of peace, comfort and happiness. I hope the 5k goes off perfectly.

Anonymous said...

I'm thinking of the Scott's today. I hope the 5K went well! I was worried about the weather...keep safe with the hurricane business (not familiar with Texas at all but hoping you only got rain).

Anyway, I am thinking of you all and the tears have already come. I plan to light a candle in her memory.

Mary said...

Ok, LONG TIME LURKER...My bf's daughter has AML, since April 30th,2004. My sister found your site, and I used it to figure out what was going on when my BF was shutting down on the rest of us...
WOW! Also working on the Twilight series. Started last Thursday, finished it late Friday night. Yesterday, had the day off read 506 pages in 10 hours of New Moon. Had to work today, finished during my lunch hour. Hubby was nice enough to get Eclipes for me to start. The books are my 14 year old daughter's. She wanted to see the movie when it comes out and figured she better get me to read it.
She borrowed Eclipse, so that is the only one we don't own. She is reading Breaking Dawn during SSR at school, so it's taken her awhile.
Hubby was really worried about her seeing a vampire movie, I said it's more then you think. So I made him read it. He did it in 2 days, a record for him, and he's asking to see the movie too.

I know this is an extremely tough time of year for your family. Thank you for continuing to share, and lots of prayers and cyber hugs for the upcoming week...
Mary