What does your husband do?

It seems like I get a lot of the same awkward questions in spurts. I've got to say, I'm glad that something has recently replaced the all-too-often "Do you have kids?" (Inevitably followed by a surprised, "How long have you been married?") The question on everyone's mind lately is "What does your husband do?" He prefers to say that he is retired. I guess that's sort of true; he is a new member of AARP! The truth is that he is disabled and receives monthly payments from Social Security. Many of our friends and acquaintances already know this, but for the friends and family that do not, perhaps it will offer some clarity. Rusty suffers from bipolar and anxiety disorder. We have tried many different options over the last five years. He has been in school and attempted numerous jobs of different types, but his illness has always gotten in the way. Each new chapter began with enthusiasm and optimism only to be squashed by the reality of his panic attacks in a short amount of time. It became exhausting. My thoughts of, 'Maybe this will be the job that sticks,' turned into, 'Here we go again. How long will this last?' When Rusty feels overwhelmed, he often suffers a panic attack that causes him to lose consciousness. Each new set of responsibilities would inevitably lead to this. I grew tired of leaving work to rescue him from his job or to meet him at the emergency room. As much as I wanted to encourage him, each new attempt took more and more from me. We had talked for a while about him filing for disability, but of course, wanted that to be a last resort. This time last year we reached that point. We began summer of 2008 by meeting with a case worker at Social Security and filling out the mounds of necessary paperwork. Then we waited. In the meantime, we heard multiple stories about how you never get approved the first time and that we'd have to get a lawyer to fight the decision. We were prepared for that outcome, but hopeful that things would go our way. The answer came in December--he was approved! We were thrilled and felt like it was validation that it was the right decision for us. We received a sizable payment that helped alleviate some of our financial stress, along with the relief that we would also be getting monthly deposits. Of course, we would be much happier if Rusty was healthy and able to work, but this has been a wonderful blessing to our family. We have had some critics, but I feel no need to defend our decision to anyone that does not fully understand our situation. I am not ashamed of our status, but as you can see, the question "What does your husband do?" takes a lot longer for me to answer than most others!

Where We're From - Part 1

Rusty grew up in Cairo, Georgia which is located in the southwest part of the state, just 30 miles above Tallahassee, Florida. It is a small town with just over 9,000 people and the county seat of Grady County.

Cairo (pronounced kay-ro) is Georgia’s “Hospitality City,” but it is also nicknamed “Syrup City” because of the former Roddenberry’s factory located in Cairo. It produced many items (peanut butter, pickles, etc.) but its most notable product was cane syrup. This is responsible for the name of the pride of Cairo, Georgia—the Cairo High School Syrupmakers football team. The story goes that during a long ago football game, it began to rain. The fans in the stands borrowed employee ponchos from the nearby factory that were emblazoned with “syrupmaker.” The name stuck and followed them to their most recent win as 2008 AAA state champions. Go Makers!

Rusty’s parents’ home is actually outside of town, a twenty or so minute drive from downtown Cairo. A red clay road leads up to the woods secluding their house. Their closest neighbors are the variety of birds and animals that live among the beautiful trees. Rusty and I love visiting his parents in Georgia. Their home is always filled with that famous southern hospitality!

Happy Memorial Day!

A tradition that I've had for many years is watching the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS, and I'm looking forward to the broadcast tomorrow evening. It's a good way to celebrate the holiday. Memorial Day is not all about camping, barbecues, and big sales, although that's what it seems to have become. The National Memorial Day Concert brings the real reason for the holiday to the forefront. It is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a live broadcast from the west lawn of the national Capitol in Washington, D.C. The program salutes and honors those who have served in the military through personal narratives and music. I recommend it highly. (I would also recommend watching with tissues.) I appreciate the fact that the holiday offers me a day off work and unofficially kicks off summer fun, but I'm glad to take out some time to appreciate all those who have made significant sacrifices on the behalf of so many.

Cinco de Mayo

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! I guess you could say that my celebration began on Saturday when my brother Damon took us out for Mexican food, but I honored the actual day today by visiting our neighbor to the south via the Elvis movie Fun in Acapulco. According to the back of the DVD: "In Fun In Acapulco, Elvis heads south of the border, where he's fired as a boat hand, hired as a lifeguard and singer, admired by local beauties (including Ursula Andress) and inspired to jump off a 136-foot cliff. Put another way: he overcomes a fear of heights in spectacular fashion. Spectacular, too, are the scenic vistas and Latin-beat tunes. Dive in!" It was an enjoyable fiesta. (Even though I took a slight "eye-resting" siesta for a half hour or so during the movie. Woops! It's not like I haven't seen it before.) It's no worse than any other Elvis movie; and this one probably makes it into my top five. The fun of Mexico with Elvis music and none of that pesky swine flu. Ole!

Thank You for Being a Friend

The Golden Girls is one of my all-time favorite shows. I've probably seen each episode more times than I care to admit. I usually know exactly which funny line is coming up, word for word, but still laugh out loud the moment it is said! It is my favorite thing to have on the TV when I'm up in the morning getting ready for work or getting ready for bed at night. I go way back with this show; I have memories of watching it on Saturday nights after my bath from a child-sized rocking chair while my mom combed the tangles out of my wet hair. The Hallmark Channel is showing a Golden Girls marathon all day today in honor of Bea Arthur's passing, so I'm sure I'll have it on for quite a bit of the day. The Hallmark Channel's website has a quiz: "Which Golden Girl Are You?" I'm Rose. I should have Rusty take the quiz and see which Girl he is. He guessed that he would be Blanche and we both had a good laugh. ;)