Good and Bad news..The end...October 20th

Hi, I have good news and bad. The bad news first, this will be my last post on this blog. The good, no GREAT news is that I now have my own website, including domain name. To keep up with my blog, to read all about me, and to follow everything going on with me, go to: www.marshadrenth.com

Yup, the website is marshadrenth.com

come over and visit me!

School Days, School days, oh wait...Not for me!! :( September 16th to End of month

As I have mentioned in previous entries, hubby and I are taking sign language lessons. During the summer we had a nice Christian man, who was a free-lance interpreter. I will use his sign name of Turtle. We had about 8 lessons with Turtle. It really helped us to get started. With Turtle we learned about 400 signs. So about the vocabulary of a 4 year old, except that we could count to 100, but could not say our colors or the months, but we could have a small conversation. LOL Well turtle had to stop our lessons as him and his family will be a missionary soon, and to get ready for that there are alot of things he must do. That is fine, so I put out some feelers for another instructor. Another SSP, from our DB group volunteered. Well not volunteered but was available to instruct us. We do pay them a small amount, of course not as much as they would get on an interpreting job, but a small amount. I will call this new instructor CD, because she lives in south Philly we also give her gas money. She comes about once a week. We have been having lessons with her since the beginning of September. She is an awesome lady, and gets right down to the task at hand, not too much chatter. We go through, learn about 40 to 60 signs at a time. So as you can see our vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds.

The reason for me writing about all of that was that up until September 16th, when our living room was finally done, we could not have our lessons in there, but in the basement. After work, hubby and his dad put all of the big furniture back into the living room. Pieces like the piano, couch, red chair recliner, love seat, coffee table. So on this night we had our first lesson in the living room.

On Tuesday I spent moving other items back into the living room, like the lamps, the end tables, the speakers. I also had the task of cleaning up the dining room, the room in which all of the living room items went and were while our living room was being fixed up. It was two months since we began the fixing up process. I was extremely happy to have back our living room and dining room.

The funny thing was that we had something planned for every single night of this week but our nights began to become open. Like hubby had an elder meeting, but because an unfortunate death in the Pastors family, the elder meeting was cancelled.

On Wednesday, September 18th, hubby's mom and SFIL came into town from RI. They arrived late in the afternoon, before hubby got off of work. We went out to our favorite Italian restaurant again with them that night. It had been planned that hubby had worship team practice, and we would just go to dinner, but that was cancelled. It was a blessing in disguised that it was cancelled and we spent the time with family. After dinner we took a quick trip to Costco. After our Costco trip we headed back to our house. Hubby's brother came over and we hung out until late. Hubby's mom brought with her Wisconsin cheese, and some other yummy treats. As if I was hungry, which I wasn't after eating such a big meal, but I did try some of the yummy treats. 

By this time, I was able to open up the house and keep it open during the night. It was more perfect weather.

So now with the living room, its more open design, we needed a few more furniture items. Eventually we will be getting a TV, and at some point a fireplace. Not a real fire place, but probably a gas one. Right now I am using wood, TV trays for end tables. And although fine for now, I would like more normal end tables. So on Thursday afternoon, MIL and I did some furniture shopping. We could not spend a whole lot on the furniture so we went to all of the consignment shops. We did not find one thing. I was very upset about this. Later that evening we met up with hubby's sister, and all five of us went out to TexMex, a nice Mexican restaurant here in North Wells. It’s nothing of course like the real texmex from Texas, but it’s the best I have found up here. Just like the night before, we went back to our house and hung out with SIL. We didn't stay up as late, but it wasn't early that we went to bed either.

Friday, MIL and SFIL had plans to play golf with my SIL, so they went off to do that. I hung out at home. That evening we had a life group. Hubby's brother and his kids, the in laws were all going up to spend time with them at his house, so they left right before we left for lifegroup. MIL and SFIL would go home the next morning.

Saturday, hubby had a men's breakfast planned, but was cancelled. I thought I would be gone all day, as I had planned on participating in a walk to raise money for hearing loss. But I just got the date wrong; it was actually Sunday and not Saturday. Ooooops!

So instead hubby and I hung out at home, enjoying a nice day.

Sunday September 22nd, would have been a normal church day for us. Well it was for hubby. He was playing on the worship team, but I was off for my walk. An SSP picked me up at 8:15am, yes too early. And we were met at my house by another DB gentlemen who was walking with us. The walk was being put on by the HLAA organization. HLAA is the Hearing Loss Association of America. The DeafCAN group, which was about 12 of us, met at Riggly Park, which is in Chester County, about a 45 minute drive from my area. The walk began at 10am. It wasn't one of those walks that you were racing others; it was a walk to raise money. It was on a trail that was 3.1 miles. I was guided by an SSP the whole time. The crazy thing is that, there were alot of hard of hearing people, alot of deaf, hearing impaired people there, but it was extremely loud. I had a hard hard time hearing anyone. Again the weather was absolutely perfect. We walked at a leisurely pace, not in a hurry at all. There were alot of families, the young and the old there. The hearing and the hearing impaired. There were only 2 of us DB people there. The rest were SSP's or interpreters. One of the team members made T-Shirts for us, as each team had their own design. By the time we headed home, I was pooped out, tired.

Like I said hubby went to church, played on the worship team, went to discovery class, and then home. After church BIL, BIL's kids, BIL girlfriend, and SIL all came over with food. They had a nice lunch. I arrived home shortly after they had finished lunch. They hung around for another hour or so, and then went on to their own things. Hubby and I laid down for a nap. A nap that was supposed to be only one hour and a half, but turned into several hours. We both needed it apparently, as it was hard for both of us to get up.

The rest of the day was relaxing.

The only other few things for the end of the month is that hubby and I attended another funeral, this time for the Pastor at our church, his brother. In a small world, that family is related to the blindness organization president’s family. It was a beautiful service.

We did have one more sign lesson of the month, and learned 60 more words. More words that have kep hubby and I just finger spelling things to each other.

Hubby and I started reading a book, called Shouting Won't Help: Why I -- and 50 Million Other Americans -- Can't Hear You."by Katherine Bouton. It was a book we downloaded from the Library of congress. It was a long book, about 15 hours to read. We would read at meal times, breakfast, lunch or dinner. Of course not when other people were around, but when we had meals together. The lady who wrote the book, had been a journalist at a New York paper, and then had lost her hearing in her 40's. She talks about her challenges, her adjustment, and how she dealt with it all. She was not deafblind, and had only the one disability. But it was very very interesting. Reading through the book was very hard in some ways for me, mainly because it made me think about my own troubles. Because I have many if not every single other problem she has or had. It did make me feel as though what I describe with my hearing loss to be the same, like I wasn't the only one, or that I was crazy. When she would describe that if she is having a conversation with several people, she could not follow, but if it was a one on one conversation, then she was fine. She describes the lengths she goes to fake, deny, and get by not telling others of her hearing loss. In the end she did get a CI. The book was a real world description of the process, and I had almost been sold to just get an evaluation, until she said she can't hear music with an CI. Not that listening to music is the most enjoyable thing for me to do now, but I still love love music. She also talks about the grief process she goes through. In many ways we were very similar, she worked up to getting a CI, I work to just function as a now deafblind person. Just to mention she could lip read, so there was alot of things she could do with her vision, that I do not have the luxury of being able to do. I plan on writing to her.

Other plans that were sorted out in September were our plans to go to Texas for Thanksgiving. I will be at HKNC by this time, so hubby is going to come up and we will leave from JFK and fly to DFW. We will leave on Wednesday and return on Sunday. I am extremely excited for this little get away to spend time with family and the kids.

Well that ends September. I hope I didn't leave anything out. More to come...

Ready...Set...September! September 1st to 16th 2013...

September 1st was on a Sunday, so the month started quietly. After church we celebrated Labor Day with family at Hubby's dad’s house. For Labor Day itself, hubby and I hung around the house catching up on personal business.

One of the first things I needed to do was take a trip into the university. I had been borrowing a braille display for classes, but now because I wasn't enrolled they wanted the braille display back. I got a ride to the train station, rode the train down to the university. I had arranged that several of the ladies from the DRS office would meet me at the train station. When I got off, the conductor was trying to tell me something. Of course I could not hear him, and pup knew exactly how to get to the elevator. When down on the street level I met the ladies. We walked up to the campus so I could use the bathroom. And I have to say, OhMyWord! There were students everywhere. I took one of the ladies arm for sighted guide, and I could hear that they were talking, not sure if at me or not, but I could not understand a word they were saying. We came to the first street to cross, and I had no clue what was going on. Stepping on to campus was bitter sweet. Even going sighted guide it was overwhelming. I could not hear the people next to me, nor could I hear the traffic or anything. It just sounded like noise, loud disorientating noise. Those same ladies helped me back to the train station, and on to the platform. This was hard for me, because never before had I had trouble with traveling so much, or getting to my university. Even though I didn't like to admit it to myself, I knew that my decision was right at this point. I rode home on the train, trying to not show anyone I was crying. It really really humbled me to realize now what my abilities are. I also know that I can get around these abilities, these challenges, but it also doesn't make it any easier to swallow those facts. I survived, and didn't get hurt.

On Sept 6th, my SIL was moving back to PA from MN. She started her trek early in the morning and was hoping to be here Sunday or Monday. She was selling her condo, and moving back in with my FIL. We also had a Lifegroup on that night. It was awesome to fellowship with good friends. Saturday was more work around the house to get ready for the carpet to be installed. Hubby and Dad, put the new posts up, all of the painting was finished. That took them the better part of the day to get everything almost finished in the living room. It’s so different in the room now that there aren't these ugly half walls; it’s so much more open. Sunday I spent in the nursery with the babies. It was a bit hectic in the nursery as many of the babies were grumpy and crying. After church as normal we had our family lunch/dinner.

By this time the weather has cooled down during the day and at night. It’s been so beautiful out.

As predicted my SIL arrives in PA around noon on Monday September 9th. We don't see her right away, as we plan to have dinner the next night with her and FIL.

September 9th is also my brother’s birthday. He is now 28 years old.

I would have to say that my days are so completely different than what they use to be. Most days I read and crochet. Hubby will come home and ask, "Honey, how was your day? “And most of the time my response is, just reading another book, another baby blanket. I don't have much to report, and some days this bothers me, others it doesn't. Hubby never makes me feel bad for having nothing to report, it’s just more of me. Of course I do more than just read and crochet; there is cleaning, laundry and work on the computer. There are my various committees and organizations that I am a part of, that still continue to keep me busy.

Just as planned on September 10th, the four of us have dinner. A nice relaxing, quiet dinner to catch up and talk. I think we got WaWa sandwiches and ate at FIL house. We didn't get to spend a lot of time at dinner, SIL was tired and had been traveling for several days, and I was being videotaped later that night.

We got home around 7pm, and the video tapers were just driving up to our house. The video was being made for an organization called DeafCAN. The Deafblind group I am involved in is through DeafCAN. The video was made up of several DB persons, two ladies and 3 men. Some communicate by sign, some use their voices and some can't hear at all, and others can hear some. So my part was that I was going to record a little saying about myself, and how being DB affects me and how a SSP will help. Oh boy was I nervous. I think in total I talked 1 or 2 minutes. It wasn't long, but I got my point across. Once it was all over and done, I beat myself up for what I said and for what I didn't say. Oy Vey!

On September 11th, our brand new carpet was installed. It’s so pretty, and every one that comes by loves the new room.

Thursday and Friday were consumed with getting ready for our extremely busy weekend, both days including organization meetings and events.

Saturday September 14th, we had a chapter meeting in Philly. Of course this day began like every day when we go into the city; we woke up early, got ready, ate breakfast, and got a ride to the train station. Once we arrived, I heard the ending of an announcement from the station. I heard something about Doylestown and Lansdale, nothing more. So we walk up to the platform, and wait. No one else is there, its empty. We also noticed that a shuttle bus just left. So a nice lady comes up, is waiting for the train too. She finally calls her husband, and he looks up on the website that no trains are running from Doylestown to Lansdale. GREAT! Okay, we have to be in Philly in an hour, we could not have made it to Lansdale to make the next train, nor was there any shuttle busy insight. So this nice lady, who is going to Philly herself for a meeting offers a ride. We arrive at our destination alive in one piece. We offer her gas money but she will not take it. Come to find out, she is friends with one of the girls who were in guide dog class with me at GDF. We also know other people, in the guide dog circle. She is a volunteer for the SPCA. We talked about guide dogs and pets the whole way down there. I was in shock that we had mutual friends, and how small of a world it was feeling like. God was really watching over us that day, as if she had not been there, we would not have gotten down into center city.

Saturday was a very very long day. So we had our chapter meeting, the normal board meeting part. But then after the meeting, some of the parents and children from the BELL program came to the meeting, and we ordered pizza. After the pizza, the parents, children and a few chapter members went to the Liberty Bell for a tour. Hubby and I caught a train with several others up to the president’s house. The president of this organizations house. For 6 hours hubby and the president, his wife and the 1st vice president went over treasury records. Oh boy how fun! By the time they were done, it was dark and late, so from there we went out to eat at one of our favorite Italian restaurants. Hubby and I got home at 10pm, and went right to bed.

And if I weren't tired just from Saturday, Sunday was packed too. Sunday we were going to be making balloon animals for the Westchester Restaurant festival to raise money for the chapter out there. We arrived shortly after 11am, when there was no one yet there. Before noon, hubby and I were already busy making balloons. We only sat down for 15 minutes for lunch, but the rest of the time we were making animals. The awesome thing was that I never broke a sweat, I wasn't hot or cold, and it was a perfect temperature, perfect weather. I can't say for hubby, but I probably made an upwards of 200 balloons, in all different shapes and sizes. Hubby and I wear aprons loaded with our balloons; they are loaded in a way that we know where each color and size of balloon is. We had loaded the balloons a few days before, but there were several colors that I ran out of, and I know hubby did too. We load the aprons with several hundred balloons for an event like this. The festival didn't seem to be as busy, but we brought in the donations. I just made balloons; I didn't actually talk to the kids or parents. Even if I had, I could not hear them. It was also cool to hang out with other people from that chapter. Being on our feet for that long wasn't cool, but we did have fun.

As much as I wish I could say that the rest of September would not be as busy, it is...Stay tuned!

Making the decision...End of August, 20th to 31st 2013

Although up until now the summer had been crazy busy, full of activities, filling out paperwork, DB events, family gatherings, church, I wasn't still sure what the right decision was. If anyone out there was saying, "Wow, Marsha, you have waited until the very very last minute to make this decision!". My answer would be yes I have waited the very last minute I could. 

Oh Decisions, decisions, decisions...making small ones, no big deal, making big ones, is so hard.

The week before school starts, I am getting emails from the university, about books, classes, professors, accommodations, and so on. I ignored them, and then ignored them. But still in the back of my mind, niggling me to make this decision was my uncertainty. So finally on Thursday, I filled out the necessary paperwork for the university to take a Leave of Absence. I promptly sent it off to my advisor, as if I had waited, I would have thought twice, and could have still started school. Once the paperwork was sent to the necessary people, I still secretly hoped that my request would be denied by the university. I know why would they, I requested the LOA for medical reasons, and I still hold my credits and standing as a senior. But I still wanted some way out of making the decision I was dreading to make all summer. Even though the paperwork was done, the final answer from the university to be still determined, the decision was pretty much made. Did this make me feel any better? Nope. I didn't feel as though the decision was being forced on me, no one was standing over me, saying okay what are you going to do, hurrying me up, it was more of my own hesitation, my own anxiety, my own stress. 

After the carpet thing, we still had other things going on. Hubby and another elder meeting, worship team practice, and family gatherings. On August 24th, the SE PA Deafblind group had their annual picnic at peace Valley Park. Beforehand there was an advisory meeting for the SSP program. At noon everyone else started showing up. There was a ton of food, and we had a nice pavilion right off the water. It was absolutely beautiful weather, not too hot, and not too cool. The sun was shining, with a nice blue sky. At the picnic SSP were helping DB folks fill out the application for SSP services. After pigging out on hamburgers and hot dogs, hubby, myself and a SSP, took a paddle boat ride into the lake. I chose to sit in the back; this was a four person paddle boat. And I let the men do all the paddling. There were lots of other people out in their boats, their canoes, and other paddle boats. I was a little disappointed, because I was not assigned a SSP, to help with one on one communication, but I still had a great time. Soon after our paddle boat ride, the SSp who went out with us drove us to another pavilion for our second act of the day.

On this day the kids went to spend some time with my parents and brother. They took them out to lunch and then to bowling. While out, they called me. Of course I had been waiting for their call all day, but then of course as soon as I get on to the paddle boat, in the middle of the lake, what happens. Yes they called. And of course here I wore my technology out on to the lake, knowing I was in a paddle boat that could turn over, while I was wearing my hearing aids, and other hearing devices. But of course that wonderful technology wasn't working when the kids called me. So I talked but could not hear them well. They all thought it was funny for me to tell them we were out in the middle of a lake. The talks with them were kept very very short.

So the second act of the day was another picnic at peace Valley Park for our church. For the DB event we were in pavilion 2, for the church picnic we were in pavilion 4 or 5. We arrived just as everyone was starting to line up to eat. By this time although we had been at the park all day, had been fairly active, I was not hungry. We ate because we knew if we had not we would be super hungry later. We both ate something small, of course every thing was delicious, and I wish I had more room to eat more.

Soon after eating our small dinner, hubby and I set up to make balloon animals for the children. We were again the hit of the picnic. It’s a sort of a running joke now, there are several church members that try to come up with the oddest animal they can think of, and see if hubby can make it. I can't even remember what it was this year, but it wasn't an animal people usually request. Another family, who is also an elder with my hubby, gave us a ride home at around 7. By this time we had been at the park for 10 hours.

Boy were we tired. Part of what made me tired was just the communication part of the day. Next time you go someplace, its noisy, lots of activity, notice how much energy you use to communicate. Then throw into the mix not hearing well, not seeing, and it’s even more tiring. We were in bed very shortly after we arrived home, but not only because of the day, but because we had an early start to our Sunday too.

Our Sunday was normal, church, with a congregational meeting thrown in, and a family lunch afterwards.

Then came August 26th, classes begin. I thought that I had been so indecisive all summer, going back and forth on my near future plans, and then the 26th was upon me. I can't say I handled that day very well. My heart told me that I should be in school, but my brain said that I was right where I needed to be. And my heart and brain continued to do this arguing routine thing the rest of that week. I was down, knowing my university was beginning, knowing that my fellow classmates were in classes and about to begin internships. I probably wasn't the easiest person to live with, but I tried to be upbeat around family and hubby.

And even though I am not sure how it happened, this ends august and now into September...Where did the summer go? Here I thought I would have all this time, all this FREE time, yeah right!

Stay Tuned for September..

Destructive and Carpet...August 18th & 19th 2013

As I mentioned in a previous message, we didn't move any of the living room furniture back into the living room, because we were now considering carpet. We had help finding a carpet company, and had set up an appointment to look at types and colors.

This Sunday began as normal, we went to church, and then lunch with the family. While at my FIL's house, we began talking about changes in the living room we wanted to make. We have these half walls in our living room, that are about 4 feet tall, they separate the living room from the entry way and hall way. The really bad thing is that they are painted a black on top; they collect junk, mail, and other items. From the front of the house we could only enter the living from one area between two load barring poles. The poles were sheet rocked and painted the wall color, which on the entry way was gray and now on the inside was a yellow that we had our friend paint it.

Our thinking was to remove the half walls; the difficulty was with the power outlets and the A/C return vents. We talked it over with FIL and BIL for a long time after lunch. And we knew that we needed to do something before the carpet was installed. And just the next day, the carpet company was coming to take measurements and to show us samples.

Can anyone guess what we did that afternoon? We, hubby and I removed the half walls ourselves. Yes, we did all on our own. No family was going to help, nor wanted to help, so we just did it. We thought no better time than the present.

We began at 3pm and worked until midnight. It took us from 3 to 9pm to just remove the first half wall, the one closest to the basement door. And then the remaining 3 hours to remove the second, the one closest to the kitchen.

I knew it would be messy, but I didn't realize it was going to take so long, and require every muscle in my body for some tasks. The sheetrock was the messiest, as it just crumbled after cutting it. There were nails that were the size of my hand in some of the wood. And they used way more nails than needed. Those half walls were never going anywhere. Some of the time we spent cleaning up and throwing things away. We filled up our garbage container that is on wheels. Plus two additional drum liners of sheetrock.

At one point hubby was using a sledge hammer to knock out some of the wood, I removed more nails than I can count. We must have made quite a noise. Our neighbors were not happy with us.

So the next day and for several other after doing all that physical work, I was sore and achy. I could hardly move on Monday, I felt like I was 100 years old. Oh it hurt. Like I said muscles that I didn't know I had I used and then got sore and achy. Hubby was a little sort in spots too, but not nearly as bad as I was.

When we told family that we had removed the half walls, they didn't think or know that we could do such a thing. But it was us, no one else. A blind man and deafblind women.

Of course removing these half walls then opened up another can of worms of things to do in this living room to get it back to normal. But all things that would improve the look and feel of the area.

Monday August 19th, the carpet company came, took their measurements and showed us the samples. Being that hubby and I can't see a lot of color. Me on good days I can tell the difference between pink and blue, others nope. And hubby not seeing any color, but being able to see patterns. We are a pair. But the sales man came to our home, helped us describe the carpet color, gave us his opinion, and let us keep the carpet samples for a while until we made our decision. We then asked family, and friends of their opinion. I had a picture of what I wanted in my head. I wanted an open airy room that was bright but comfortable, inviting, but relaxing.

Well enough of our home improvements for now...you will have to stay tuned to see what happens and what color we pick.

More to come...