To give or not to give (updated)

Hubs and I recently got new Kansas Driver's Licenses. I actually liked my Nebraska picture, so it was kind of a bummer. Anyways, they of course asked the question, "Do you want to be an organ donor?"

To me, the response is automatic, "Yes."

To some, however, it seems to be a bigger, more thought-provoking decision. Hubs and I have discussed our reasons, but I am appealing to you as to why you have or have not decided to donate your organs after your death. 

I would love to hear your thoughts. Was this a hard decision to make? Why did you decide to donate, or why did you decide not to donate? 

I have mine all written out, but I don't want to suppress any discussion that may occur, so I will update this post later.

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My Thoughts:

Two people were brave enough to put their reasons out there. Thank you! I REALLY don't think there is a right or wrong answer here. Each person has their convictions and their feelings on this subject and that is what works for them. I just think it is an interesting subject.

I have always been of the mindset that I am obviously not using my organs when I am dead, so why not give them to someone who needs them. I never really gave any thought to the process of "harvesting" my organs because it happens when I am dead. Side note: Laura gave me something to think about regarding the heart issue - I wasn't completely aware of how soon heart is needed after death. However, if the only way I am alive is by machines, I want Hubs to take me off the machines. If I cannot live without them, I (being very practical) see no reason to waste money keeping me alive. Instead, I am okay with them doing what they need to in order to take my heart. But, maybe I trust their opinions more than I ought.

So, the main permeating reason I have for being an organ donor is that I believe I am not, nor will I ever, use those organs again. That body is simply going to rot in it's coffin or burn to ashes (I don't really care). So, if my cornea, my kidney, my liver, or whatever else can be used to save someone, please take it! 

I guess I am kinda odd. I have never had any problems talking about me when I am dead or dying. Perhaps I just talk big and it would all change if it were Hubs lying there, but I have truly always felt this way about my death.

If I die young and healthy, I want my organs to be donated. If I die old, nobody will want them anyways. I do have one request, though. I don't know if this can happen, but I hope that Hubs or a family member can meet or write the people who get my organs. I hope that he can tell them that I had no fear in dying and I hope he can tell them how they can have the same assurance through salvation in Jesus Christ. If my dead body parts could be used to share the gospel, for even one person to believe in Christ as their Savior, I can see no reason not to give up my organs.

Faint with Excitement?

Professionals Day is an annual event at the dental college. There are awards. There is a lecture. And, this year, we were invited to the luncheon. Seniors are especially recognized on this day, and for that reason, I took the afternoon off.

Hubs was 1 of 3 finalists for the Practice Management Award, which included a cash prize. So, this was pretty exciting stuff.

After the luncheon, we headed down for the lecture part of the afternoon. We were seated about half-way from the front and we were going through the program to see if Hubs won any cool awards. I counted his name 8 times besides various awards!

We decide it was a great picture opportunity, and pictures always make good blog posts.


So, here we are before the lecture. Yes, that is my new cute scarf! Thanks for noticing!

We both look healthy in that picture, right? Nothing out of the ordinary? About five minutes later this is how I looked...


In the midst of a sentence, the room spun around me and my vision narrowed. I fell on Hubs and passed out almost passed out. Hubs was quick enough to lay me on the filthy ground and put my feet in the air. The room continued to spin for a while. When I finally opened my eyes, I could see people trying to find their seats and became very aware that I was laying on the floor for all to see.

So, like any normal person who almost fainted, I get up and sit down on my seat only to realize that I still feel pretty funny. Hubs suggests that he carry me out of the room. As valiant as that sounded, I was not interested in drawing even more attention to myself and insist, as a clear-headed individual, that I can walk.

Well, as expected, that lasted about 10 steps and I started dropping again, so Hubs ended up carrying me to a chair outside the lecture room where he was joined by our friend, Dr. Howe, and I ended up doing this:


It was determined that I could have been hyper-ventilating. Then, I got myself so worked up over the fact that I was in the midst of hundreds of people while lying on the ground and being carried out of the room, that I began having some crazy shudders in my arm. It was like I was shivering, but I couldn't stop them and I was not cold at all. Hubs rubbed my back and arms and held my hand. He was a great comfort.

About 20 minutes later, I felt fine and was able to attend the awards ceremony. Unfortunately, We all missed the lecture, which I believe everyone ended up thanking me for. It was fun to see Hubs get recognized for his achievements and I felt completely normal for the rest of the day.

And, Hubs DID win the Practice Management award! So, to prove that I was indeed up and moving around after the ceremony, we took another picture. Because, as you know, pictures make for better blog posts.


Congrats Hubs, for all your hard work has paid off. And, thanks Hubs, for taking such good care of me.

And the saga continues

We were at the gas station Saturday evening. Fillin' up the truck. Hubs starts putting gas in the tank, but instead of going into the gas tank, it just spills right onto the ground. Odd. Hubs tells me and I immediately get mad at Dakota (the truck). I mean, every 3 weeks something new comes up and he needs fixed again. What's the deal? We give him plenty of attention and drive time. This is ridiculous.

Hubs pays for the gas that we pumped on the ground, and takes a look under the truck. It wasn't Dakota's fault. Somebody had cut out a 8-10" piece of the gas line and, most likely, siphoned gas directly from the tank!

What kind of a person does something like that? It's not good enough to suck someone's gas out that they paid for, but you have to actually cause the person to pay over $100 to fix the mess you made.

After talking with the police officer, Hubs found out that we weren't the first victims of this type of vandalism at our apartment complex. Two days earlier, someone else reported the exact same instance. I guess that made us feel a little better.

Customer Service

I got a package in the mail yesterday from The Limited which is one of the stores where I shop. Knowing I hadn't ordered anything, I was surprised to see the package. Inside was a square, silk-like black/white scarf as well as a letter with a 20% off coupon.

I don't have a Limited credit card. I just shop there once in a while, since they can have some great deals. So, I was quite surprised to get this gift in the mail. The letter said they were sorry about the frustrations I encountered while shopping at thelimited.com.

I had to think back. The only thing they could be referring to is an order I placed on Cyber Monday - a sweater and a cami. By that Friday, I still had not received an email informing me that the order was shipped. So, I called to make sure there wasn't a problem with my order. That's it.

Needless to say, I was very surprised and pleased to receive this little gift. I think the scarf retails at $19.99 and I will definitely enjoy using the 20% off coupon. I already really like this store, but this extra token made me even more of a fan.

We all have plenty of bad customer service experiences - plenty are popping in my head right now. And those keep us away from certain stores, for sure! But, do any of you have good experiences to share?

Oh, I ended up returning the sweater I ordered - didn't fit me right.

In the smoker's corner - an update

Remember this post?

I guess I wasn't the only one in the parking garage bothered by the location of the smoking area because today we received notice that, effective February 1, there will not be a smoking area inside the parking garage. Instead, smoker's will have to take their smelly habit outside - in the wind, the snow, and the cold temperatures.

If that isn't motivation to stop smoking, I'm not sure what is. Oh wait, there is also the high risk of lung cancer and emphysemia. And, the effects on your teeth and breath, too. Plus, the expense of it all.

Funny thing, though. I decided to give up my reserved parking spot last week (for other reasons), so I won't even enjoy the benefits as much as I would have.

Who knew Santa Claus coming to town would win me $98?

At 11:10, I put on my radio headphones at work. Why? To listen for the "cue to call" in for a radio contest.

I heard it and started dialing. Then, in a momentary lapse of brain power, I couldn't get my fingers to work the phone in my normal speedy, efficient fashion. Hello! This is part of my job. So, after wasting a whole bunch of time trying to use the "redial" and "release" buttons, I just dialed the phone number again in the old-fashioned way. To my utter astonishment, it was ringing and I was the magical 7th caller.

Usually, the contests I play are taped, but they did this one live. It was the longest minute and a half waiting for the song to end. The contest is: they play a part of a Christmas song, when it stops play, you have to finish singing the phrase. My Christmas song was "Santa Claus is Coming to Town;" I finished the phrase and won a $98 gift card to the local mall!

I was recently asked how I win this stuff. My answer is that I just try to win. I drop my business card in fish bowls all around town. I call into the radio station if I want to win something. How many people, though, hear about a a contest and just never enter or call? If you want to start winning, just start trying. You won't win them all, but you'll definitely increase your chances!

The inconvenience of convenience

I have grown up with the convenience of cell phones, the internet, pay-at-the-pump gas stations, 24-hour grocery stores less than 5 minutes away, multiple vehicles per family, and the news immediately as it happens via TV. So, when something isn't working...these conveniences are inconvenient (have I over-used the word "convenient" yet?).

I love that I can have news stories brought to me as they occur (as opposed to waiting for the next day's newspaper), but man do those reporters mess it up sometimes. They get to decide what news to share and how to share it.

I love having my cell phone for emergencies or just to call up a friend whenever I want. But, aren't there times that you just want to ignore its ring or leave it at home? However, it is so frustrating if the person you are calling doesn't have their phone with them at all times!

Or (I had this situation last week), your usual pharmacy (less than a block away) closes early on Saturday. So, you have to drive 3 miles to the 24-hour pharmacy and wait in line because it is the only one in a 20 mile radius!

And, what about when the grocery store is out of something you need? You mean I have to drive 5 minutes down the road to the other grocery store? Talk about inconvenience!

In my quest for continuing my education, I have found that some colleges and universities offer distance education courses. Convenient, right? The major I want to pursue, however, is not offered as a distance education option. How inconvenient!

Ha, I actually found myself getting upset about this.

My goodness, what struggles we 21st century people are faced with today!

Wild Kingdom

It's a jungle out there! Well, actually it is a big, open field, with lots of weeds and bugs.

2:00am this morning I wake up to Hubs getting a drink of water. As I wait for him to come back, I hear the screen door open, so I get up to investigate.

There was a noise coming from the open field in front of our apartment complex. A noise so hard to explain and I could never repeat it. It was sort of a squawk, sort of a quack, but also sort of a seagull sound. The noise occured about once every 8 seconds, without fail. We figured it must be some sort of an animal, and it sounded as if it might be hurt. Or, maybe it was a mating call. After listening for a while, I was more than ready to go hop back under my warm covers and go to sleep. Hubs, however, decided to investigate.

A few minutes after he left, I got back out of bed to watch where he went. Hubs was no where in sight. Immediately, my mind took off. I thought, What if there is a bad guy out there who was just making a noise, hoping that someone would come outside to see what was up? I bet they captured Hubs, took his keys and now they are trying the key in each door to find out which apartment I am in. What should I do? Where should I hide? I could go stand outside, on our balcony. Maybe they won't check out there. Finally, I stopped my imagination and told myself to think on true, real things (Phil 4:8). I went to the window again and saw a flashlight beam in the weeds. What a dummy I am for making up that whole story and freaking myself out! So, I returned to my warm bed to calm down.

Hubs came back in about 15 minutes later. He said that the noise would stop as he walked through the weeds, but that the sound was coming from the roof of a house. He pointed the flashlight up at the roof and saw a huge bird. Being 2:15am, I didn't ask how huge, but I am still picturing an ostrich-sized bird on the top of a roof. The bird flew away when the flashlight found him, and the noise stopped for the rest of the night. I did some research this morning and cannot find a bird noise quite like what we heard. It was really a strange noise. Hubs also mentioned that, while walking around in the weeds, he heard some other animal noises and movements.

Well, I was wide awake, now 2:30am, so we talked a little before falling back to sleep. But, how can you sleep knowing Wild Kingdom (or Criminal Minds) is right outside your window?

Heather Renee

After seeing this on other blogs, I decided to try it out myself. Here is what a computer said about my personality. I'd love to hear if you think it is accurate or completely off. I have my own opinions. Post it in my comments.

What Heather Renee Means

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?