Saturday, March 05, 2005

About Us

This will be a long one, sorry.
Amazing how theraputic it has been writing in this blog already, only the second day.
First, my girls protested about their names. Henceforth, I decree, at their insitence, that lil one shall now be known as "Kiddo" and eldest will be known as "Bookworm."
A former creative writing major at Douglass College, Rutgers, I decided to take a year off from college. As I then needed benefits, I took a "for a while" job as a police/fire/EMS dispatcher with Edison Twp. I had been a volunteer EMT with the first aid squad for several years, and they were in need so it seemed like a good move. I did not count on a very cute English guy moving in to the apartment downstairs, nor did I count on falling head over heels in love with him. Hence, my 'year off of college job' became my career.
We married in 1990. I was only 19 (what was I THINKING!) at the time, but I got lucky in my choice of a husband. He is a doll, and luckily as I continued to grow up, we grew up together, rather than apart.
The bookworm came along in 1994, and I stayed at my job because Edison has KICKASS benefits, so good that my hubby doesn't even take his from his job. We moved eventually to Howell, to be closer to his job (IT Specialist and Systems Engineer, he makes the real bucks in the family) and upon 'christening' our new home, I got pregnant with Kiddo. Literally on the night we moved in - must've been.
As we settled into our new neighborhood, with two kids and a commuting mom, I thought my schedule must be wearing me down, I was sooooo tired all of the time. Then I lost the sight in my right eye.
Turns out, I wasn't just tired. On Valentine's Day, 2002, I was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.
My day-to-day life changed COMPLETELY. Please, DO NOT PITY me. I have a wonderful life, a wonderful family, kickin' friends, and my life is really good. The disease may have changed some things, but I am fine, and life is all about rolling with the changes and adapting. Making the most out of things. I share this here only because I may have MS, but it doesn't have me! I am very pro-active, badgering doctors and researchers, organizing my daughter's girl scout troop to raise money and provide refreshments at the annual MS Walk, and many other events. I have now become a Resource Specialist volunteer at my local MS Society, and take client calls and dish out sympathy, empathy and advice twice a week. It ROCKS!
Luckily, when I began having fatigue and balance problems, I was able to take disability retirement from my job, complete with a teeny-tiny pension and , yes thank GOD, benefits for life. I jumped at it, and became a stay-at-home-mom, or as Dooce calls it, a Sh-t Ass Mo-fo - censored in case my bookworm finds her way here!
I love my life, mostly, but never appreciated how tough it is raising two very active and smart girls. Whooo they are tough. The bookworm is SCARY smart, in the accelerated program at school, and she can think circles around us. Kiddo is very smart too, but in a sneaky, little liar kinda way. heh heh.
The name for this blog came about because the other day I realized that we all read so much, and share our favorites, like Tolkien and the Harry Potter series or Stephen King, so much so that most of the books we have are beginning to fall apart. They mostly all have broken bindings.

Welcome!

5 comments:

cakeboom said...

A few years ago, I did a ride for MS on a borrowed bike with a REALLY HARD SEAT. We went from Sandy Hook to Spring Lake and back. The last 15 miles, I never sat down. It was for a damn good cause. You're an insipration, girl.

Hey, remember that Edison explosion years ago? Were you working then? I think you could see the fire glowing in the sky from PA.

I love Harry Potter, too. haven't read the lastest yet, though.

Anonymous said...

Durham Woods, who can forget that. I was asleep at the time of the blast, it woke us up. I was about 4 mos. pregnant, and silly me, I got dressed and drove into work. At the time, we thought Mobil Chemical had blown up. Duh, and I went in. The phones were sooooooo jammed. Seeing the sillhouettes of helicopters buzzing around the flame spout was a very surreal image. I'll never forget it. We dispatchers did nothing but answer, hang up, answer, hang up, etc. for days. That and try to keep track of the list of missing persons. It was nearly a week before everyone was accounted for. None of us could believe that EVERYONE got out. That was the best part!

LadyBug said...

Enjoyed your introductions.

I have to say, and please do not be offended in any way by this...the name Broken Bindings makes me think of a bra with worn-out elastic. But that's only because any mention of bind/bound/binding, etc. makes me think of the evil underwear that is the brazierre.

Oh, dear. I fear I've over-shared.
Well, best that you know early on that I tend to do that, I suppose.
*snicker*

Anonymous said...

HAH HAH HAH!
didn't think of that LadyBug

cakeboom said...

i thought "broken bindings" meant you were some kind of extreme skier.

and i did not mean to call you an insipration. that just sounds l;ike a nasty insult. see, it's hard to type and rock the baby and breathe all at once.