A Busy Week

It has been another busy week for me. I'm still trying to catch up after my summer travels. I finally finished unpacking my suitcase yesterday and put it away. Now I need to get ready for Chris' arrival back home. We've been communicating almost every day this past week. I'm just so thankful that I can talk on the phone with my family. As I write this, Chris is loading up his U-Haul truck and will be towing his car behind it. He plans to start his journey HOME tomorrow (SUNDAY) So, if you see a U-Haul truck towing a black Ford Contour on the highway between San Diego and Tennessee, wave to him! He has mixed feelings about leaving the Marine Corps but is looking forward to starting a new life. I know he is anxious to be home and we are looking forward to having him around again.

I had a few CI moments this week. It just keeps getting better and better. One evening when I let the dogs out, I stood outside in the driveway and just listened. I noticed that the summer background music of the crickets and cicadas were not as loud as they usually are and thought to myself, "Oh good, the season must be winding down and it is almost time for them to leave." As soon as I said that, I noticed that their song got louder and louder and louder, increasing in a steady tempo. I just stood there in awe listening to the crescendo of their music. I hadn't noticed the distinct change in their volume before. Everyone has their opinion of the sound of these summer insects. Some like them and some do not. Even though this is the first season that I can hear them and it is not one of my favorite sounds, I'm thankful that I can hear the sounds of one of God's creations.

Another CI moment was at work while sitting at my desk. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my office is filled with many different sounds and I usually know which ones they are. When I hear a "new" one, I listen and try to investigate where it is coming from. Keep in mind that I work in a credit union with no open doors or windows and am in the middle of a building. I have several barriers to the outside world. As I was working, I heard a train go by! I always notice the sound of a train when I hear one. I love the mournful sound of the horn and the wheels clicking on the tracks.

This week I had my car worked on and got a loaner car to drive, a 2006 Lexus RX400 HYBRID! Wow! What a cool car that was to drive! It was so quiet and had a GPS (Global Positioning System) in it. THIS CAR TALKED TO ME! When I entered in my destination, I would hear a voice say things like "proceed to the next intersection," "go to the next light," "go one half mile," "turn right," "turn left," "you have arrived at your destination," etc. I heard and understood every word it said to me. I even talked back to it! A bell would "ding" when it was time to make a turn. I didn't always follow the directions because I take shortcuts or travel on back roads and the GPS did not like that. I would hear another distinct bell "ding, ding, ding" when I didn't turn like I was supposed to. (This would be perfect for Marissa, because she is always getting lost when she drives to or from a new place!) It would be nice to have a car like this someday but we will have to wait a LONG time. Maybe someday all cars will have a GPS in them. When Jason, our service representative, called me at work about the repair work on my car, I was able to understand him. He told me I needed new front brakes, how much it would cost, and when it would be ready. He mentioned to me that in the four years he has been dealing with us, this is the first time he is able to talk me on the phone without any problems. He always had to call Steve or relay a message to me through one of my coworkers.

This week I had dinner with two of my dear friends. Wednesday night I met Susan (Susan's Journey To Sound) at Abuelo's, a new Mexican restaurant in Knoxville. We talked and caught up on each other's news for over three hours. I had the Chile Manzanillo, which was crab imperial stuffed in a fresh roasted poblano covered with shrimp, scallops, mushrooms and red peppers in a creamy lobster sauce. It was served with rice and sazonado. I'm not a fan of scallops so the waiter subsituted extra shrimp for it. It was delicious! Susan ordered chicken fajitas and when the waiter brought her food to her, we just sat there and listened to her food SIZZLE (in a noisy restaurant) for five minutes! We would not have been able to hear that before our CI's. Susan has had her CI for almost two years and is doing great, too. I am so blessed by her friendship - I would not have started my Dance With Sound without her. She will be graduating soon with her nursing degree (that's why she hasn't had time to update her blog for awhile) and I plan to be there to cheer her on!

On Thursday night I had dinner with Dawn at the Olive Garden. I LOVE the salad that they serve there. We talked and visited for several hours, too. It is hard to hear in a noisy restaurant but I just turn down my sensitivity on my processor while on my BEAM program (background noise). The lower the sensitivity number, the more it brings in the voices and sounds that I want to hear. Dawn just needed to talk and I just listened. Dawn and I have been through a lot together over the years. I am truly blessed with good, dear friends!

This week we had a new washer delivered. We had an automated message on our voice mail telling us the delivery time. A year ago, I would not have been able to understand it. Remember my "Furniture Delivery" entry in April 2005 and how frustrated I was? They even called me at work when they were 20 minutes from the house so that I could run home and let them in. I even asked them if they needed directions and they said "no." I would have gladly given them some!

Life is good. I celebrated my one year CI surgery date on Wednesday, August 30th. I cannot believe that it has been a year already! God is so good, ALL THE TIME!