May be my last post of 2008! Project Rewire Reflections...

It's hard to tell from my blog, but Project Rewire, is still in action... underway... is still very much a priority. Just the narration blog part has had to take a bit of a back seat for a little while. The project in and of itself is a big part of my every day! I believe with all of my heart... brain, too, that "we're" making headway... headway to the point I very well may be fraying wires a wee bit here and there as the rewiring process continues. A step or two backwards... two or three forward. Funny what a pair of pink Crocs and a little camera can lead to when one follows God's leading!







Me, back up in the air with my pilot confronting my fears and learning to take photos to push through those fears.






A precious little miracle English Springer Spaniel rescue puppy, Sydney. All 21 pounds of her! She's my ever present side kick, velcro buddy, glued to me with each step I take. At my side when I'm sitting... even sleeping. She's there every single moment. Her sense of smell is incredible. I know I've said it before, but I've had many dogs -- none with a nose and ability for nosing around like she has.

Then, both her alertness and awareness are amazingly keen. I truly believe God sent her to me via ESRA = English Springer Rescue America. That she'll learn to alert me instinctively if there would ever be a seizure in the midst of coming on and I was unaware. As she learns to read me, I need to learn to read her. She's added so much to my life, my pilot's, Chance's (her big brother rescue Springer I've had for 9 years now)... even Max the cat is in love with her. Only my other kitty, Jasmine, wishes she lived on another planet!

Oh! Guess what!?! She even has a boyfriend named Toby Nelson-Rowe, an out of state Cairn Terrier. They've just recently begun to correspond. Have their own email accounts and will soon have their own gig going on one of my fave reality news sources back home in my hometown of Virginia Beach -- so keep an eye out. Before you know it, they'll have their own blog! You wouldn't believe the things they're saying about their humans and animal kin folk!

And, as I've posted awhile ago, I've an awesome new generation aluminum earth friendly unibody MacBook. Somewhat of a learning curve after like a quarter century of Microsoft operating systems. Wow! Just counted those years up and it has been that long. Yikes! But learning out of my comfort zone is a very good thing. It's what it's all about, actually. Taxing my brain in a way to cause it to learn new things. Build new pathways. Get both sides to working like they should be! Introduce stuff or get back into an artsy side of me, that used to be there long long before Epilepsy entered my life -- just got out of touch with much of it while life happened.

There are also two more new cameras in my life. A sweet Digital SLR to go along with my point and shoot... AND a dynamite little Flash HD DigiCam. That thing is so cool and the zoom button, zooms so smoothly. I LOVE it. I'm serious about this picture taking stuff, let me tell ya! It's a way God is bringing light back into my life -- it's a way He's reconnecting me with family members coast to coast -- it's a way other family members are connecting with more family members.

I've been blessed with so many new techo gadgets now all at my disposal and software to learn there will be no time for Winter to be dull even for a moment. I've had my pilot busy on the ground ferrying me around to take photos of trains, trains being an old love brought back into my life. I'm finding I'm into videoing trains -- on the ground only from like 6 feet away as they blow down the tracks. My pilot is catching the fever, too -- he likes videoing arriving passenger trains. Only problem they arrive in Hamlet at 11:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. and often run late. Makes the timing a little nuts, yet it's fun! So, in the new year -- look for some You Tubes from me. Those trains are wowing and so exciting. They've actually been wowing me all of my life.

Took many a train trip as a kid from back home down here to visit my grandparents. Reconnecting with trains makes me happy the way flying in our powered parachute makes my pilot happy. I've taken a gazillion photos of the awesome renovated Victorian era Hamlet Train Station, as well as other train stations in our area. Long story behind the reasons for all of it, I just may share one day.

My only one complaint is that I'm still struggling somewhat with the AED (Anti Epileptic Drug). It kicks my rear physically. Drags me. It wasn't supposed to be so, but I'm so weird with medications... react idiosyncratically and have hypersensitivities, it's tough to take it. Yet, at the same time (although hard to tell from this entry) my words are flowing smoother in writing and verbally. Retrieval is better a good part of the time, too. I can literally feel improvement in the way my brain processes things. First time ever since Epilepsy became a part of my life, three years ago in fact this very week. That's huge. HUGE! However, in learning all of the new stuff I mentioned above, it causes need for me to limit my computer time. I'm hoping it's just a phase -- that I'll work through it as my body and brain continues to adjust to the medication. Get over the hump. If it doesn't, at this time, I'm still not inclined to talk to my Epileptologist about going off of it or switching medications. For me to be able to discern improvement in brain function... means there's healing happening. I simply need to give it time and continually thank the Lord above for what He's giving to me.

To those who have inquired about me to my pilot, truly... I'm okay... only elaborating a little here so you'll understand what keeps me away. In 2009, I won't make any declarations. Never make resolutions, they're just unrealistic. But! I do plan on posting photos even when I may not be in the mode to write.

To all of you who read I do appreciate it ever so much. The ones I hear from off the blog, the ones who check with my pilot to see how I'm doing... the ones who faithfully pray for me, you're part of the process. A key one... and I thank you.

P.S. All photos taken of me were in fact taken by my pilot. He got my hands and feet included! We're getting somewhere!