Monday, January 23, 2012

Resisting Change!!!

Yeah, the title says it all...I don't know why I resist technology, or learning more about electronic things.  You would think I don't like change but I don't think that's always the case, in fact I embrace "change of scenery (love to travel), change of seasons (love watching trees & flowers come back to life) and I love switching it up when it comes to trying new recipes (not necessarily making them, but ordering a "new" dish in a restuarant, haha!).  BUT, and that's a big BUT...I do seem to lack the necessary skills to learn new technology at the same pace as the general population.

First case in point...when we moved to NC almost 16 years ago and opened a new checking/savings account, the bank (First Union at the time who then got bought out by Wachovia and are now Wells Fargo...see they have no problem with change!)...anywhoo, they issued us these funny things called ATM cards.  I resisted, no refused to use it for years (literally years) because I thought for sure if you stuck this card into an ATM machine or tried to use it at a store instead of cash or a check that surely someone could easily steal your identity.  LOL, while that's probably more true now than it was back then (the part about stealing identity), it sure is much easier than always making sure you have cash on hand, not to mention most places won't take checks anymore.  Shortly after starting to use this thing called an ATM card, people started calling it a debit card...sheesh, I just got used to the ATM wordage, now they're changing to a debit card, keep up Marcy!  I was then notified via email, that you could start paying your bills online, wait what?? Seriously, you expect me to figure that out?  Ha, that one was pretty easy and now I am seriously annoyed if I have to actually write out a check and put a stamp on the envelope to actually mail a bill in.  I don't like relying on the Postal service to get anything where it needs to be in a decent amount of time (another blog post in itself!).

Second case in point...Learning to text!  I remember distinctly telling me kids that I thought this was very "impersonal" and I would  NEVER do it...lesson learned, never say NEVER.  I love texting, sometimes you just have something quick to say and you just don't wanna get into a whole conversation.

Third case in point...Doing away with a home phone, going strictly to cell phones.  Again, this one took me years.  It really was a "no-brainer", but until I understood the concept that I could still have internet (wireless internet, again a new concept for me!) without having a home phone line I didn't think it was possible to have one without the other.  Wow, saving $$ there...ok, so we broke down and bought Cleo a personal cell and bundled that with my cellular plan, so not really saving $$, but one less bill to pay online, haha!  Probably the biggest advantage to NOT having a home phone is the lack of telemarketing calls...oh I hope I didn't just jinx myself and they get hold of my cell phone #.

Fourth case in point...Learning to change my blog background, all by myself:)  I have had a blog for quite a few years and although I managed to figure out how to upload pics to it and do new posts frequently, the one thing that eluded me was how to change the background.  So, from the time I started it until about 4-5 months ago, every time I wanted a new background (see, I do like change!) I would, at first call then after learning to text, I would get ahold of Sara and tell her which one I wanted, then she would log into my blog and change it for me and Voila a pretty new background.  Sara says I'm a "big girl" now and I think I've already changed it 3 times since Christmas.  Practice makes perfect!

Fifth case in point...A stand mixer (KitchenAide), this thing is awesome!!  My sisters-in-law all have one and they all make the best bread...I was always envious and they kept telling me to just get a mixer and it would be a piece of cake (yup, it will mix those too!).  I made 2 (count 'em, 2!) loaves of bread last week and they were so yummy.  I made cookies (with a recipe found on Pinterest, another interesting new find) yesterday and am looking for more recipes to try out.  Ok, so Cleo may be getting more out of this new gadget than me but it's been fun cooking and baking again and it just looks good on my counter:)

Sixth (and for now the last) case in point...Learning to navigate the world of my Ipad2.  Now, I have to admit I kept telling Cleo that I didn't need one, but if he wanted one to go ahead and get it.  Bless his heart, he bought me one anyway and he is still using his old laptop, what a sweetheart!  Lets just say I LOVE IT!!!   I had the Geek Squad set it up for me at Best Buy...I didn't want to use the warranty before the thing was less than 24 hours out of the box, LOL!  I downloaded Pandora and absolutely LOVE listening to music while reading or doing housework.  I have yet to do the IBooks, I think I still prefer to hold a book, turn the pages and coming back to the book a day or two later and actually seeing how deep into it the bookmark is.  I finally started doing Pinterest after resisting for a really long time the urging of others to join.  I'm still not 100% sure how the whole Pinterest thing works..as soon as I accepted the invite, it immediately said I was following like 75 people and their boards/pins...yikes, how did that happen??  I'm actually assuming that since you sign in using your facebook account, you are automatically following all your fb friends that are on there.  I promise I'm not stalking you people, I'm just learning how to look through the thousands of things this site has to offer.  If you don't want me to follow you, you'll have to delete me because I sure as heck don't know how to delete you;).  My friend Lauren popped in last night for a few minutes and she showed me a couple game apps to install...Words with Friends and Dice with Friends...ADDICTING!  You play with friends online and the games can last hours, or even days.  I know, the majority of you reading this already knew that tidbit of info, but I was up until after midnight last night playing and waiting "my turn" not knowing you could actually just put the thing down and come right back to it the next day...LOL, thanks Lauren:-)

I am a slow-learner with technology, I vow to do better, but keeping it real...that probably won't happen anytime soon.  It's not so much that I don't like change (I do, I really, really do!) I think I'm just stubborn...yeah I know, that won't come as a huge surprise to most!!  But, It is what It is...and that, my friends, won't change!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Don't Blink

Ok, so I'm officially a day late for this blog entry...BUT yesterday was a BIG day and we were out running around and having fun, so here I am officially one day late for a milestone anniversary.  They always say the first year is the hardest and other than a few minor setbacks, it really wasn't that bad.  Seems like just yesterday and it really is hard to believe it's already been a year...CRAZY!!

Yesterday, January 14, 2012 was the one year anniversary of Cleos' successful kidney transplant...YAY!!!  He is doing so good, feels great, looks great and all indications are that he's on the right track to a long and healthy future with a very strong kidney.  He's a rock star (well, not officially but in my world he is!).  He has learned to live life to the fullest, every single day and not take his health for granted.  He goes in on Tuesday for his one year appt and we're hoping at that time Piedmont will start alternating visits with his local nephrologist on an every 3 month basis instead of the every month (sans the last appt which was 2 months) he has been doing.  HUGE step ahead in the right direction...never thought we'd see the day...DON'T BLINK!

I will also go in on Tuesday for my one year post-donation appt.  It's really just for bloodwork and a necessary formality for statistical purposes.  I will go again at the 2 year mark and then I'm officially done...DON"T BLINK!

In the year since Cleos' surgery, we've gained a beautiful new daughter in law (Mikell, Kyles' wife) and a sweet new grandson (Dachu, Cori & Brandons' son).  Crazy how fast life just moves on, with or without you...DON'T BLINK!

We certainly don't live a glamorous lifestyle, but we do try to live each day to the fullest, enjoy every single little moment and most importantly show our Love to family and friends.  We never mind talking about the transplant to people who ask legitimate questions...our way of giving back and helping to spread the word about Living Donation.

In the words of Kenny Chesney "In this here today, gone tomorrow world we're living in" you better do it, say it, show it and live it because you just never know how many tomorrows we have left.  Live, Love and Laugh my sweet family and friends.

Besides, if you blink you might just have one of these fall on your head and knock that good sense right outta ya, LOL!

Happy 2012