Little Bit of Everything

Let's see.....been a while since I posted. I've accomplished everything I had on my to-do list in the last month, so yay me! Sent off my book proposal--now it's in their hands. I probably won't hear anything until at least August. I had my yard sale last weekend--it went pretty good--got rid of quite a bit of stuff that was either not being played with or not being worn. Seen a few old acquaintances that I only see when I have yard sales lol. Then I listed my stuff on ebay--didn't do just great, but then again I had to start all over w/a new name and sometimes people are skeptical of buying from a newbie. We've officially started our Reynolds' swimming season! Lauren just loves the water, but I worry so much about overexposing her to the sun/heat. She seems fine, but still....guess worrying about her is nothing new. Jordan and I both blistered today. Right now it doesn't hurt, but I imagine it will by tomorrow.

If you haven't read about Susan Polk yet on courttv.com you are missing out lol....she now says she's psychic and that her husband was a spy. This story just gets more and more bizarre! You read it here first---this WILL be a Lifetime movie or at least a movie of the week. No doubt about it! I don't know what got me interested in crimelibrary.com but I check it at least once every other day. It is so disturbing to know that there are so many people just out right missing! Could you imagine someone you love (I'm not even talking about our kids--not going there!) just up and disappearing? I just can't even fathom the thought. Of course, the worst part is that they're usually, eventually, found, but no longer living. Sick, sick world we live in.

Well, I know I had a lot more to say but now I'm blank! So, guess that's it for now!

Wonderful Day!!!

Today, my mom and I took Lauren for her cardio appt. I can't believe how good she was! She still cried some, but nothing like her normal! Dr. Moss just couldn't believe how good she's doing! I was so thrilled when she said we'd hold off on the cath until August. Right now, Lauren just doesn't seem to need any adjustments to her stent or coarc repair. Maybe by August she will and we'll really be glad we waited!
For those of you who knew---I've completed my proposal and it's sealed and ready to be mailed!!!! Now it's up to them! For those that didn't know lol--I'm submitting a book title proposal to the Chicken Soup for the Soul production team. It was really quite a process; I also had to include three stories. I think they turned out pretty good. My title proposal is for chd families. I soooo hope it is accepted!!!! Even if they just agree to do the title and I don't have anything to do with it, I'll be happy; of course, I'd really be happy if I get to co-author the book. There's not a lot of money involved, but that's not my reason for doing it. I've really put myself out there by telling several people (mostly pw gals :) but at least I tried!
Monica has got me riled up to get my house more organized :) Really, I do this about 4-5 x a year; this time I'm getting ready for a garage sale and I want to sell some stuff on e-bay.
Cindy had this great suggestion for motivation -- it's called COW (concepts on a wall) -- basically you just use sticky notes and write ideas and put them on a wall (or in my case poster board)--then go back and organize it. It really makes things so much easier to tackle when you see the steps you need to accomplish. By doing this I've accomplished the following in just 3 days: cleaned out 4 rooms so far for yard sale/ebay; finished my proposal; signed up to sale on ebay and got a paypal account; and of course, still cooked and cleaned and played w/the kiddos :) It really works!!!

Stolen From Angel........

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? Ugh...........
2. When is the next time you will go on a date? No idea.......
.3. What's a word that rhymes with "DOOR". poor
4. Favorite planet? Have to go w/Earth
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your mobile? probably dh
6. What is your favorite ring on your phone? just the normal ring
7. What shirt are you wearing? yellow t-shirt
8. Do you "label" yourself? like Angel said "wtf does that mean?"
9. Name the brand of shoes you're currently wearing? None on, otherwise would be Nikes
10. Bright or Dark Room? bright
11. What do you think about the last person who took this? She's awesome :)
12. If you're alone in a room with two beds, which one do you sleep on? when in the hell would I be alone in a room w/2 beds?????
13. What were you doing at midnight last night? Watching Remember the Titans, trying to fall asleep
14. What did your last text message you received on your mobile say? dunno
15. Where is your letter box? again, like Angel said "Is that my mail box? It's in front of my house"
16. What's a word or phrase that you say a lot? Quit it! Stop!
17.Who told you he/she loved you last? Davo
18. Last furry thing you touched? stuffed animals
19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? zero
20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed? zero
21. Favorite age you have been so far? 30 was a good age
22.Your worst enemy? few people I don't care for but no real enemies
23. What is your current desktop picture? Pooh
24. What was the last thing you said to someone? Lauren, what do you want to watch?
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? A million bucks
26. Do you like someone? Yes
27. The last song you listened to? Aerosmith-Jaded-Jordan had the radio on out back shooting hoops
28. If the last person you spoke to was getting shot at, would you jump in front of the bullet? Yep!
29. If you could punch 1 person in the face who's in your life right now, who would it be? Dr. F at ACH--would enjoy it too much :)
30. What is the closest object to your left foot right now? couch pillow

Lost.......

Lost is completely blowing my mind! I cannot remember a show ever keeping me hooked like this one has! Absolutely love it! I seriously could not pick my jaw off the floor after Michael shot Ana. I had a feeling he would come back bad, but I was still shocked! So, there's only 2 things that can be happening with Michael 1--he has been brainwashed/drugged or 2--following orders to get Walt back. The others obviously wanted Ana dead because she killed Goodwin. Libby happened to be at the wrong place/wrong time. I just wish they'd communicate more---Kate should've spoke up when Michael said they were dirty/worse off than the Losties....she's seen the costumes/makeup. And, just when Jack & Locke were seeming to start getting along---Locke tells him too little too late about Henry trying to kill Ana :( Now, Jack will certainly be pissed at Locke again! Jack is my absolute favorite! Love Sawyer, Kate, Locke, and Sayid, but Jack is probably 70% of why I watch the show!

The Coolest Thing Happened Last Night

Little background: Michael Ruhlman wrote a book called Walk on Water a few years ago about the life of a pediatric heart surgeon. He followed Dr. Roger Mee-the head pediatric heart surgeon-around the Cleveland Clinic for a year and a half gathering info for his book.
Forward to last year---I'm surfing the net, trying to find books on congenital heart defects -- unfortunately, there aren't very many -- and I come across this book--so I order it. During Lauren's hospital stay last summer, I read it. Now, I knew that Lauren's first heart surgeon, Dr. Drummond-Webb, once worked at the Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Mee, but I didn't know when. He was all through the book---so it kept me very interested to read more about him---I was also interested in the surgeon's perspective of heart surgery. While at Lauren's bedside one day, Dr. Ula (her anesthesiologist) came in. I had the book with me. He told me that he was also at the Cleveland Clinic during the time the writer was there. I didn't know that he and Dr. Imamura (Lauren's 2nd heart surgeon) both came to Arkansas Children's with Dr. Drummond-Webb.
Some of you may remember that Dr. Drummond-Webb committed suicide December 26, 2004. So, this book means a lot to me for many different reasons---one is---Lauren will have something for when she's older to tell her more about her first heart surgeon.
So, about a week ago---I sent him an e-mail and here's what it said:

Mr. Ruhlman I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the time and effort it took to write Walk on Water. During the time your book was released, I would've never imagined I would ever need to read a book like this. However, we were put into this whole new world two years ago, and after my daughter's diagnosis, I went in search of as many books as I could find about heart defects. Your book stood out to me because I was interested in the surgeon's perspective. Unfortunately, there aren't many books about chd's...something that I hope changes soon. Your book is something we will keep forever. Dr. Drummond-Webb performed my daughter's first open-heart surgery. We loved him very much, and his death hit us very hard. We're glad our daughter, Lauren, will have something to tell her a little more about the kind of person he was. Lauren was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome at 8 days old. She'd been home with us for 5 days before fallilng ill. It's been quite the roller-coaster ride, of course, she's absolutely worth it! Dr. Imamura (you may have met him also) performed Lauren's 2nd surgery last May. She'd spent months on the transplant list before her heart function was good enough for the 2nd stage. It was a long and hard recovery. I was reading your book at her bedside one day, when Dr. Ula (anesthesia) walked in and told me he was at Cleveland while you were there. Anyway, we have a couple of people in common! I'm not one of those moms that says just fix her.....I want her fixed and I try to understand as much as possible everything that is going on with her. Your book helped me a lot and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it! Jeannie Reynolds

And, last night---He REPLIED!!!! I just thought it was so cool!!!!!

Jeannie,Thanks so much for writing. It's good to know my book helps. I've been close to people going through what your'e going through and i can't completely imagine it. Jonathan was a good surgeon and you were lucky to have him. I hope Lauren continues to improve and moves on well to that third stage. She's very lucky to have you.All best wishes and thanks again,Michael

Just wanted to share lol---not much excitement around here!! And, it's a good thing he has editors lol!

Another thing.......

Regarding my previous post: I'm in no way advocating their innocence.....I have no idea. I do strongly believe the case was handled horribly.

West Memphis Three

Imagine for a moment: your town is reeling from a recent, gruesome ordeal that is still being investigated. You're a teenager sitting at home, maybe watching tv. Someone knocks at your door, and before you realize what's happening; you're being handcuffed and read your rights. You're being arrested for the crime.
"Shortly after three eight-year-old boys were found mutilated and murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, local newspapers stated the killers had been caught. The police assured the public that the three teenagers in custody were definitely responsible for these horrible crimes. Evidence? The same police officers coerced an error-filled “confession” from Jessie Misskelley Jr., who is mentally handicapped. They subjected him to 12 hours of questioning without counsel or parental consent, audio-taping only two fragments totaling 46 minutes. Jessie recanted it that evening, but it was too late— Misskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols were all arrested on June 3, 1993, and convicted of murder in early 1994. Although there was no physical evidence, murder weapon, motive, or connection to the victims, the prosecution pathetically resorted to presenting black hair and clothing, heavy metal t-shirts, and Stephen King novels as proof that the boys were sacrificed in a satanic cult ritual. Unfathomably, Echols was sentenced to death, Baldwin received life without parole, and Misskelley got life plus 40. For over 12 years, The West Memphis Three have been imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. Echols waits in solitary confinement for the lethal injection our tax dollars will pay for. They were all condemned by their poverty, incompetent defense, satanic panic and a rush to judgment. "
The above was taken from the front page of this website http://www.wm3.org/splash.php.

CAUTION: The case is very gruesome, even more so that most horror movies I've seen. If you're interested in the story, please, realize it's very hard to believe, but it did in fact happen. My blog entry will not reveal any of the gruesome facts--it's just my opinion on the case.
I'll be the first to admit, when I watched the special on HBO "Paradise Lost", I was convinced they were guilty. Damien struck me as a disgusting, very sad excuse for a human being. But, I had done what's been done to them all along-and that's judge them without the facts. A few years later, I became interested in the case again. After researching more about the case, I became more "on the fence"---my biggest problem was how something like this could happen here in America. Three teenage boys being sentenced to death or life without parole for something they didn't do. I had to (much like everyone else needs to) get past the attitude of Damien, the way he dressed, talked, his hobbies, and then, of course, his name lol. So, I was on the fence for a while.

Even while watching the movie, I thought one of the murdered boy's step-dad seemed completely off his rocker. Now, I'm convinced that he needs more investigating.

So, it's recently been brought back up in our local news. One of the defense attorneys believes the case should be reopened. He might as well be banging his head against a brick wall. My interest was once again sparked.

What bothers me most is the complete lack of evidence. The fact that when the boys were found-the first thing out of one of the cop's mouth was "well, it looks like Damien Echols has finally killed". No other leads were looked in to. Jessie Misskelley has been examined by doctors and proven to be mentally handicapped. He was questioned for hours (most of it not recorded) before giving a confession. Later that night, he said that they hadn't killed the boys, but it was too late. Seriously, his statement was the ONLY evidence they had.
And, another thing--these 3 weren't even friends. They hardly knew each other.
Back in January, our governor was asked if he would consider giving the three clemency--his response--he was not inclined to do so. So Jason wrote the following letter to the governor and it was printed in the AR Democrat-Gazette:

A protest of innocence
Arkansas Times Staff Updated: 3/30/2006
Re: Jan. 5 broadcast of “Arkansans Ask: Gov. Mike Huckabee.” Dear Governor Huckabee: You say you haven’t seen proof of our innocence [the West Memphis Three]. I say that is possible but only if you haven’t searched. I know you are an extremely busy man. You have to be because you have the needs of everyone in Arkansas resting upon your shoulders. I understand and do not blame you for taking the advice of your advisers on this case. However, know this Governor: I was 16 years old when I was kidnapped — and from day one I
have told the truth about my innocence every chance I was given — but no one with power or authority on earth has listened to me. But He has. God has listened and if you don’t believe it all you have to do is look at all the hearts he has touched concerning this. It wasn’t fair or right when you said the only concerned citizens were outsiders and that they had reached their conclusions after only viewing a movie. There are many Arkansans who know that I am innocent who have done more than just view a movie. No. 1 on that list is Mara Leveritt. Ask her about the facts of this case. Debate publicly with her. Just make sure you have your facts straight first because I guarantee you she has hers. Better yet, drop to your knees and ask God about this in prayer. Be a hero, Governor Huckabee. Take the initiative and really look at this case. If you don’t, I understand and I’ve already forgiven you. Just know this: My faith will never waver and should it do so — God will pick up the slack. P.S. Congratulations on your health. I’m a counselor here in prison and I use your example as a role model for the guys to emulate. Thank you. C. Jason Baldwin Tucker Unit Jason Baldwin, who was convicted at age 16 in the slaying of three West Memphis children in 1993, is serving a life sentence at Tucker. Another co-defendant also received a life term and Damien Echols has been sentenced to die for the crime.

So, this was another thing I needed out of my head---not completely---I do believe the case should be reopened.

Lifetime movie in the making

The trial of Susan Polk has caught my interest. She is accused of murdering her husband 4 years ago. They met when she became his patient in her mid-teens. He was a very successful psychologist. He was 50 and she was 25 when they married. She is currently serving as her own defense after her previous attorney's wife was found murdered at his home last year.

She claims her husband was stabbed during a struggle for a paring knife. She also claims he had been emotionally and physically abusive to her and her 3 sons for years.
Out of her 3 sons, ages 19-23, only the middle son, aged 20, is standing beside her. The other 2 sons recently settled a wrongful death suit against their mother. During their time on the stand, both of these sons have expressed that their mother was delusional and often spoke of killing their father. At one point in the trial, one of her sons told her she was "the embodiment of evil" and later stated she was "cuckoo for cocoa puffs".
The one son that is standing beside her, Eli, is constantly in trouble. He's spent time in a juvenile detention center for beating another boy with a flashlight. Also, the day his father was killed, he led police on a high-speed chase. He goes on trial again soon for being accused of battering a girlfriend. He does, however, maintain his mother's innocence, and claims that his father instigated many family troubles.
This is quite a story. You can go to courttv.com to follow the trial.
Anyway, I have a gazillion things running through my head, and it's time I start getting it out :)