Wednesday Hodgepodge

What makes you feel accomplished? Explain.

Monday would be what I would consider a perfect day of accomplishment. First of all I had nothing planned. So I got up when I wanted to get up, which was at 7:00 a.m. I could have gotten up earlier; I could have slept in later. But I woke up naturally and felt ready to get moving. All day long I worked steadily at things I enjoyed, but things that also needed to get completed. I wasn't on any kind of schedule, but instead did tasks as I felt led to do them. I went to the Amish greenhouse to pick up a few flowers. I came home and planted flowers, worked in my garden. Then I did some power washing on our house. I grilled burgers for dinner, enjoyed a glass of wine, watched a KC Royals game, did some reading before bed. By the end of the day my muscles were tired, my head was clear from all of the outside time, and I felt like it was a day well spent. That, to me, is accomplishment.

If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be? Tell us why.

Tim Gunn - I absolutely love him, and would love to have him help me see some positive additions to my daily style.
President Trump - I would like to hear FROM HIM what his views are, what his plans are, and how he is going to work to get our country back to its roots of growth and strength. I am tired of hearing the media's take on him or what he has to say or what he wants to do.
Shemar Moore - Cause he's just hot. But he's also fun, and I would like to hear about his decision to leave Criminal Minds after 10+ years and launch out on his own to chase a dream of being a lead in his upcoming show S.W.A.T., and about his work for M.S.

Do you have a great burger recipe? What's in it? What do you like on a hamburger and where is your favorite spot to order one out?

My burgers are pretty ho-hum. I buy the fresh patties from Aldi in the meat section, sprinkle on a little steak seasoning and garlic salt, then grill. I like my burgers with mayo, lettuce, onion, and tomato, typically with either Swiss cheese and mushrooms or with cheddar. My favorite burger? The
Mushroom Swiss Burger at Red Robin ... yummm!

What's the biggest anxiety producing thing you do on a regular basis?

I try very hard not to involve myself in anything anymore that might cause me anxiety. It's part of my simple, peaceful lifestyle I am creating for myself. I guess it would be anytime I have to actually call someone on the phone. I hate talking on the phone. I would much rather text or email.

This is the last Hodgepodge of May. Tell us about your summer plans.

The majority of my summer will involve transporting kids back and forth to activities and summer school, taking care of Bennett, going swimming, going to some garage sales. We don't have a major vacation planned this year, but we are going on some small trips: national stuttering conference in Dallas, a lake week with friends, and a fast one night trip to Las Vegas with Kyndal to see Backstreet Boys in concert! Kyndal and I have been to a concert in every Backstreet Boys tour, the first being on her 5th birthday. It's kind of an extravagant trip for a concert, but we just can't miss it.

Insert your own random thought here.

This morning I had a breast biopsy, my second in two years. Two years ago it was for some indeterminate calcifications that looked questionable and today it was for a fibroidadenoma that was detected in an ultrasound after I located a cyst during a self-exam. I have an amazing radiologist who does my mammograms. This year I opted for a 3D mammogram. He came into the examining room to show me the fibroid tumor on the monitor and to explain to me that it is a noncancerous tumor. However, he wanted me to have it biopsied. He told me that my regular breast specialist, an expert in the field, had moved to a hospital in Kansas, but called him personally to get me set up for my biopsy. He came in and handed me his cell phone number and told me to call him. So I did, and he got me all scheduled. After my biopsy today he explained to me that there is the very rare chance that this tumor is a localized cancerous tumor that does not spread or metastasize (although he would be surprised if it is) that would have to be removed if it comes back as malignant. But that is the worst case scenario, and he's not worried about it. But as I was leaving he said, "Now, you have my cell phone number  don't you?" He told me I could call him anytime I have any problems. You just don't get that kind of care very often these days. I am so blessed to have such amazing physicians in my corner.