What is your BASELINE!

Good Morning!

As we get a few snow flurries, I realize my love/hate relationship with snow!  I am not sure what it is for sure about snow, but I know how much I love that it makes everything look very pretty when it first comes down, and it seems to silence the chaos.  I would really enjoy it I think if I could just sit in front of a fire and drink hot tea and not move until the snow is all done.  On the other side, I know I have to drive in it and that is the part that makes me not love snow!  Right now however, it looks really pretty outside and I am going to allow myself to enjoy the moment.

We have officially kicked of the Christmas Season.  The trigger for me is an annual "girlfriend" Christmas party, followed by a Christmas Program at church.  My miracle boy was not in the program, but he was assisting in the sound booth!  That's totally what he loves to do!

My friends made me cry, tears of joy and overwhelming gratitude!  Having them in my life for over 26 years, it is pretty amazing!  We reminisced over our first Christmas get together at La Frontera.  Yours truly, yes that would be ME, went to 1300 EAST and of course the restaurant was 1300 WEST!  OY VE!  Memories with these ladies!  Never a dull moment!

My girlfriends decided we would make a contribution to help others out and rather than our usual gift exchange.  They decided since I had an exciting year this year, I should decide what organization we should donate to this year.  We decided instead of donating to  a big organized foundation, we would find someone who actually needs assistance, and make it personal.  We also decided that in 2017, each birthday the birthday girl would decide where we would be volunteering!  I am SO EXCITED to see what kind of good work we do in 2017!!  

Friday, I had my BASELINE tests.  This includes a right and left heart cath, a biopsy, an echo, an EKG, and blood work.  All in a mornings work.  They kept on telling me I would need a ride home.  I asked why?  They responded that I would need to be sedated!  NOT I, I SAID!  They listened and I did it all without sedation, thinking I would be done super fast and I could hurry out of there! HA!  NOT SO FAST!  You can drive wherever you want AFTER you lay still for two hours.........REALLY?  ME?  SIT STILL FOR TWO HOURS!  Why do they like to torture me like that?  HAHAHAHA!  I worked on my phone, until the battery died :(  Then I tried to get up and go, but I realized they had me hooked up to something! MY! MY!  The things they do to keep you there!  HAHAHA!  Praise the Lord, all results came out good and now we have a baseline from which to measure for years and years.

While I had my HERO doc there, I asked him about the call on August 27th at 5:00am.  I said, I was not fully awake when you called, did you say something about this heart was really supposed to go somewhere else?  He said, "it was really amazing how it all worked out for you to get this heart, with where you were on the list and how this geographically ended up working out was truly amazing"  I call it "BIG GOD"!  I call it, GOD'S AMAZING TIMING!  

As I have been out and about more and more around people, I have let my guard down a bit and getting back to my usual self.  I hope it's a good thing, and not a dangerous thing! I do know however, it feels good to be "normal" again.  Well, normal is over-rated!  I think I am wild, weird and extraordinary as all my friends are!  LOL!  Wouldn't have it any other way!

Faith, Hope, Love!  I hope you truly find the TRUE meaning of Christmas and don't get caught up in all the things that the media and AMAZON and all the stores want it to be!  I pray that you find the true meaning and appreciate PEACE and GRACE!

SO MUCH LOVE,  UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Claire