Computers!

When I was in elementary and junior high school, the NASA space program was in full swing, and computers were a large part of the program. I remember teachers saying that one day we would all have computers in our home and use them in our everyday lives. I could only picture the huge computers that took up entire rooms in the coverage on NASA, and wondered how something like that could be a part of my everyday life. No one knew anything about the concept of the internet at that time, at least to my knowledge.

Well, this past week I learned that I depend very much on the computer for my everyday life. I woke up Saturday and went to check for Katie's ACT score. We are waiting on that score to add to her transcript, which is stored in our computer, along with her essay and reading lists, and - well, you get the idea - pages of documents. When the score appears online, everything gets printed out and sent to the colleges for "early decision" by December 1st.

I turned on my computer Saturday morning, only to realize that my screen had "died". After speaking with several different sources, it was determined that my best choice was to create an external hard drive with the hard drive from my "dead" computer, purchase a new computer, and move everything over so that Katie's information would be available to send out in a timely way. This pretty much consumed Saturday, but I was grateful that I had the financial resources and the energy to make the switch.

Other news -

Sarah had her procedure today and all went well. She spent last night and will spend tonight with us to rest up. She will return to work on Wednesday.

We are still waiting for news of my grandfather.

My mother-in-law, who has Alzheimer's, has decided of her own accord to move to assisted living. Please pray for my husband and his brothers as they help her find the right facility.

I have developed a case of lymphedema in my right arm. I need to elevate and massage it, and I have been referred to a lymphedema specialist for an evaluation. This is something I will need to learn to manage for the rest of my life because of the lymph nodes that were removed. I am used to doing a lot with my hands, and I like to garden, paint (walls), move furniture, etc. I will have to learn to pace myself and ask for help with these tasks.

It seems that the lessons from breast cancer will continue for a long time.

Thanks for calls, prayers, cards, and e-mails.
Jan