In the life of me.

Those of you who know me well enough know that my car was named Pearl. Today she bit the dust to the hands of a rather bulky Opel outside of Mainz Kastel. Long story short, everyone is ok, including John. Dr. Kern is having me go in again tomorrow morning to double check on him.

We’re going to hunt for a new car tomorrow, but we won’t buy until the insurance companies figure out who was at fault and if anyone will be receiving a settlement. Right now we have a rental until Tuesday afternoon but after that we’ll be carless. No, insurance didn’t pay for the rental, we did. I’m not spending a hefty wad to keep a rental until we buy one. So now Bry’s hurting for a ride to and from work. Suck! We’ve also cancelled our trip to Paris…:(

If you wanna know the details, call or something. I honestly don’t feel like typing it out. It’s been one LONG day.

~Jen

Appetizer
Name a sound you like to hear.

Right now, it’d have to be the fans going full blast. We live on the third floor and Germany doesn’t have a/c in their buildings. Top that off with being pregnant and I’m extra hot! (If you want to see just how pot bellied I’ve become, look at my previous post.)

Soup
What is your favorite kind of cheese?

Smoked Gouda…very tasty with a beef stick slice on a cracker. Probably not all that healthy…

Salad
Do you sleep late on Saturday mornings? Why or why not?

It’s rare that I am able to sleep in on Saturdays. There’s just something that pulls me out of bed around 6am or so, everyday. Though now I have the sudden urge to snooze again.

Main Course
When was the last time you forgot something? What was it, and how long did it take to remember it?

LMAO! I forget something all the time these days. I can’t even remember what I forgot most recently…perhaps that I forgot I forgot?

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I notice ____________ when _____________.

I notice the peace in my life when I hear sounds from nature.

~TheButton

I promised C a few weeks ago I’d get my new do up on here. Some if it is out due to the camera, but I got too impatient to wait for the hubby to snap a pic for me. Here’s to mirror shots! And since it had been a month since I took my last belly shot, why not do the both at once? Enjoy!

*hugs*
~Jen

P.S. Sorry it’s so blasted huge and grainy. I’m not a pro at using Corel yet…So if anyone has pointers, let me know.

Appetizer
List 3 emotions you experienced this week.

Sadness, a girl in my husband’s unit got diagnosed with leukemia. She flew with her mother to Walter Reid on Mother’s Day.

Anger, with the crap my hubby is having to deal with as far as extending our stay in Germany, his enlistment, and his promotion that seems so far away but should have been here ages ago.

Happiness, a friend finally got the ball rolling to get a marrow drive started for the lil’ girl..or any other child who needs the marrow transplant.

Soup
Name a car you’d love to have.

I’m content with my Toyota Echo ‘03. My Pearl gets great gas mileage. Though, when we go back to the US, I’d love to trade her in for a Prius or some other hybrid.

Salad
Describe your typical morning routine.

Mad dash to the bathroom because my bladder has become a trampoline, eat breakfast while checking up on email and such, Oprah, then shower.

Main Course
Have you ever emailed someone famous? If so, who, and what did you say to them? Did they reply?

Oprah, about this little girl in my hubby’s unit. I want to get people aware of how many children there are out there waiting for bone marrow. It’s hard to find a match and how hard is it to get your mouth swabbed so you can be on a list to give life to a dying child?

She hasn’t responded yet, but I plan on emailing her more and more next week.

Dessert
Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones?

I used to when I played WoW and then it was TavernCast. I looooved that podcast.

Some of you know by now that a little girl in my husband’s unit just got diagnosed with leukemia. There are a few of us working on getting our FRG’s (Family Readiness Group) to contact Red Cross, our clinic, and legal to get a drive running to get our blood tested for possible compatable marrow. We’re praying it gets approved. Even if we can’t match her, think of how many other children with this illness we can save. I’m asking those of you at home to go get your blood tested. Need more info? Well I’ve got it and you’re in for a read.

Thank you,
Jen

Hopefulness for the future
The drugs and the treatments which has been considered effective against the leukemia were developed by clinical and basic investigations from all over the world, reaching spectacular results in the last 30 years. New antileukemic drug combinations have allowed higher remission percentages. The hopefulness for the future resides in turn all these remissions into cures.
But there is yet a high need of other treatments to fight against the leukemia. An encouraging treatment is centered in the patient´s natural immunology to beat this illness.
The bone marrow transplant is an encouraging treatment for patients having leukemia and lymphomas. The transplant is limited by age and, for being successful, it is necessary to be compatibility between the receiver and the giver as in a blood transfusion.
Nowadays, methods to stimulate the progenitor cells of the blood are being used, and then when the cells are obtained they are used as an authologo transplant, reducing the morbidity and mortality of the method. At the present time, many patients are forced to this technique increasing the cure percentages.
The investigators are trying to find out why certain people get this illness, which test it can be done in order to know who are more at risk of getting it and how could be prevent. At the same time, new treatments for extend the life and cure more patients with leukemia are being developed.

Donating Bone Marrow
What is Marrow?
Marrow is a substance found inside bones. It resembles blood and contains blood stem cells, which produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets important for carrying oxygen, fighting infection and helping to control bleeding.
Blood stem cells, the cells that transplant patients need to make healthy new marrow, usually live in bone marrow, but are also released naturally, in small numbers, into the circulating (peripheral) blood. A medication called Filgrastim will dramatically increase the release of blood stem cells into the circulating blood so that enough cells for transplant can be collected directly from the bloodstream.
Why Register to Donate Bone Marrow?
Every year, thousands of adults and children need bone marrow transplants — a procedure which may be their only chance for survival. Although some patients with leukemia or other cancers have a genetically matched family member who can donate, about 70 percent do not. These patients’ lives depend on finding an unrelated individual with a compatible tissue type, often within their own ethnic group, who is willing to donate marrow for them.
As of January 2006 the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has facilitated over 20,000 unrelated bone marrow transplants and the national Registry has over 6 million volunteer donors. In the Puget Sound region, our local donor center has more than 60,000 volunteer donors on the national Registry. There is a critical need for more volunteer donors. Many patients, especially people of color, cannot find a compatible donor among those on the Registry. Patients and donors must have matching tissue types, and these matches are most often found between people of the same racial and ethnic background. A large, ethnically diverse group of prospective donors will give more patients a chance for survival.
Tissue Typing Made Easier!
Those interested in joining the NMDP Registry must have their HLA tissue type determined. It used to be that a blood sample was collected from the potential donor, but now, in order to make joining the NMDP Registry even easier, Puget Sound Blood Center is introducing the “buccal swab” collection method. This method allows the donor to swab the interior of their mouth to collect enough cells to be HLA tissue typed. This collection method will be available at the beginning of August at all Puget Sound Blood Center Donor Centers and all blood drives.
Donor Eligibility
Donors joining the NMDP Registry must be between 18-60 years old and in good health, and must meet the NMDP Donor Eligibility Guidelines. For questions about donor suitability, contact the Puget Sound Blood Center at bonemarrow@psbc.org or 206-292-1897 or 1-800-DONATE1 x1897. Donors who are not suitable to join the national Registry can help patients in other ways such as making a financial contribution to tissue type other donors. See funding information below.
Steps to Donating Marrow
• If you match the tissue type of a patient seeking a donor, additional testing will confirm the results. You will meet with donor counselors at the Blood Center who will help you make an informed decision about donating your blood stem cells.
• The marrow collection process usually does not require an overnight stay in the hospital. The procedure itself is painless, because it is performed under anesthesia. But, for an average of two weeks following the procedure, most donors experience sore hips and some must restrict their activities. Even with some soreness, most donors report that donating marrow is a very positive experience and that they would be willing to donate again.
• The donated marrow is transfused to the patient, whose diseased cells have been destroyed by intensive chemotherapy. In time, the donated marrow engrafts and begins producing healthy blood cells.

Appetizer
Tell about a time when you had to be brave.

That would probably have to be every time my hubby has to go away for some sort of training. I have to spring out my independance full gear and learn to survive on my own.

Soup
Which upcoming movie are you excited about seeing?

Hard to tell since I saw it last night. Spiderman 3

Salad
Name an item you try to always have on hand.

These days it’s an ice pack. I had to use it for a popped rib on Monday and now I’m using it for a more amusing situation. I dare not go into detail for fear of TMI. Let’s just say pregnancy appointment and a latex glove…no fun.

Main Course
Imagine the most relaxing room you can think of. Now describe it!

It would be one massive bathroom with a tub that can fit tall people…two tall people, for nice and romantic bubble baths. There would be candles all around and rose petals. Mmm…I can dream can’t I?

Dessert
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest), how spiritual or religious are you?

I say an 8 since I don’t actively go to church but I still hold onto my beliefs. I also feel that I don’t have to go to church. I find that I appreciate God more when I’m out in his creation instead of behind man made walls. Or that could be my Native American heritage springing out too. heh.

The other night I woke up, finding myself on my back and slouched to the right a bit and my back HURT. It was a rather odd angle. Being a nut about how I sleep since I’ve been pregnant tells me back is bad, left side is best, so I flop over to that side. After a while the pain goes away and I feel the kicks of John, so I figure all is ok. Later that day I went to get my hair cut and go to lunch with a friend at our favorite cafe. Mid Margahrita Pizza I feel this sudden pain in my back again, mid to lower right side. I try rubbing it out and it makes it hurt even worse. Once we get out to walk back to the car, I’m fine. After a nap and a snack I pick up this cross stitch I’ve been working on for months (from Nov. until now) so I can finish the bead work on it. Soon as I lift up the needle to fetch a bead I get that pain again. I mean, it wasn’t bad at first but it kept getting more painful as the evening wore on. By 8:30 I was in tears it hurt so bad and I have a rather high tollerance for pain. I finally broke down to call the hubby at that point to let him know what was going on. Oh yeah, he’s out of town for a week, why does this crap always happen when he’s away? He tells me to make an appointment, which I was planning on doing anyway. I was half tempted to cart my behind to the ER. Then I call one of my best friend’s here and she says it sounds like a popped rib. She starts naming off things that hurt her when she had that happen to her rib. Then I take a deep breath while lifting my arm, both hurt! Hmm…Perhaps call my mother and her doctor hubby. Yep, they too thought it was a popped rib. I was told to ice and by the second icing session I took a deep breath and felt every last rib on my right side pop back into place. The pain subsided enough for me to go to bed, finally.

So today I went to the doc’s and she, Dr. Guess (lovely name for a doc, right?), came to the same conclusion as everyone else, popped rib. It’s one of my floating ribs. You see, pregnant women’s joints loosen up to prepare the pelvis for delivery. She said the slightest thing could have tweaked it to make my muscles spasm. Unfortunately, due to the pregnancy, no x-rays can be done. Our insurance doesn’t cover chiropractors either and even then so, there aren’t that many of them in Germany. I inquired about my beloved Prenatal Yoga (which I tried some poses and none of them worked) and she encouraged me to continue going. So we shall see how I feel after tonight.

Oh yeah, worst part, I was going to drop by the post office to mail off a package, got down the 3 flights of stairs and into my car before I realised said package was still up on my dining room table. I live next to a middle school and the buses all leave around 8am…which is exactly what time it was. It took me 10 minutes to drive a mile and a half! Then to get to the base took another 20-30 minutes when it’s usually a 5-10 minute drive. I’m rather glad I didn’t charge back up those stairs for the package or I would have missed my appointment. So, sorry my dear friend, I swear I will get it to you this week.

*hugs*
~Jen

Appetizer
Name something you would not want to own.

I would have to say, the split pea green colored shag carpeting. It’s hideous and I wonder why some people insist on keeping it around.

Soup
Describe your hair (texture, color, length, etc.).

I kinda look like Rogue. Ya see, I’m a natural blonde and I dyed my hair this dark red color. Then my roots started to show and soon as that happend I realised that I can’t get it fixed until late September at the earliest. *pats her tummy* Texture would be thick…even thicker than it used to be, it’s driving me crazy! The longest layer grazes the backs of my shoulders, the shortest can still poke me in the eye. I have the side swiped angled bang look.

Salad
Finish this sentence: I’ll never forget ___________.

I’ll never forget when my Pops (late father’s father) put on his leopard Speedo Christmas morning. He also added the touch of a bow tie and a garter on his arm. My sis and I just talked about this yesterday since he’s venturing back in the dating world almost a year after his wife passed away. Nothing gets you to cringe and giggle at the same time like your grandfather stating that he knows when a woman wants to be touched and the like. Or the fact that he has his own personal add in the newspaper hehe.

Main Course
Which famous person would you like to be for one day? Why?

No thank you, I’d rather not be in the tabloids and deal with all that crap. I’m perfectly happy being me where my only drama is to find that blasted craving I want. Watermelon!

Dessert
Write one sentence about yourself that includes one thing that is true and another thing that is not.

I can sing and dance very well.