When I get to play on Twitter it’s fun for me because it’s been part of communicating with these people who were important to me.

When I was approached by Vivian of Blend Creations to wear one of her charm necklaces it meant more than just sporting a pretty piece of jewelry.

It means wearing a piece of my friends around my neck.

Isn’t it awesome?  I love it. I really do.

Not because I’m an egomaniac or anything (which I obviously AM) but because what it stands for.

So, Vivian is letting me not only have this little piece of Heaven to wear, but one to give away as well!

REPEAT: You can totally win a Twitter necklace (or the other options) for your very own!

Contest details

To win: (in the comments leave an answer) TELL ME ABOUT A PIECE OF JEWELRY WITH A SPECIAL MEANING OR MEMORY ATTACHED.

Dates: 1/27-2/1

Available to: They ship internationally! Anyone FTW!

Extra entry: (tweet or Facebook this comment and leave the link in the comments) “I would like to win the necklace by @BlendCreations that @AnissaMayhew is giving away! http://bit.ly/zZp0nv”

Well…

So, let’s get down to what I like to call “Anissa’s Rules of Engagement”

• I can’t see you when I’m moving or far away – This might be partially fixed by the eye-surgeries I’m scheduled to have but chances ARE that if you are left thinking “GOD, what a bitch! I waved and she didn’t wave back.”I COULDN’T SEE YOU. Because of the eye weakness (that the surgery is supposed to help fix) I have, I have trouble focusing on anything that is moving. THEN! Because the muscles spasm in my right eye (another surgery), everything is always moving.
• I have trouble hearing when there is a lot of background noise – My hearing aide is supposed to help fix this when I get it. But the reason I avoid loud/noisy places is because I can’t hear at all. I spend a lot of time in hallways and outside of things because of the noise. Not because I don’t want to talk to you. If I AM in an area where you’re surprised to see me, I probably have earplugs in, AND CAN’T HEAR SH*T. If you want to have a conversation of any substance, you’ll wait till I can hear. Otherwise, I’ll nod and smile A LOT.
• You may not have expected it but I have a speech problem - I talk wonky, quieter and my throat gets dry very easily. Things come out of my mouth that probably shouldn’t.  But I don’t think I can blame that on the strokes.
• The wheelchair is like a really big scarf – feel free to compliment me on it, ask to borrow it, if you have any questions the kids named the new wheelchair Bertha.
• I won’t break – people hug me, sit in my lap. step on my feet, knocked my arm off the wheelchair…but get between me and the coffee and I will report you to security as someone who mugs the handicapped. NO LIE.

Seriously, that’s really it.

What you have read or tweeted is pretty much what you get.

<sarcasm>I know you’re thrilled by that.</sarcasm>

It isn’t my first conference since my wheelchair.

It isn’t the first time I’ve gotten up in front of a group of people and let them see my disabilities.

It won’t even be my first time at Blissdom. (It WAS my first conference in 2008 and where I met some wonderful friends for the first time) I have been at Blissdom every year except the year my strokes kept me away.

And they did this:

But this isn’t a post written so you can go “WOW, YOU ARE SO COOL!”

In a lot of ways, this feel like my first time.

At a conference.

Not THE FIRST TIME.

This will be my first event with my new hearing aid. And Bertha. And the eye surgeries that can change things in a BIG way.

Like getting a new wardrobe, these are things that will only be ground-shaking to me.

But yeah, they make me nervous.

I see people talking about their apprehensions and nerves.  Their worries and fears.

So I’ll be a community leader talking about “GROUP AND COMMUNITY BLOGS“, but in a lot of ways I’ll feel like I should be considered a newbie.

If you are going to be at Blissdom and see me (and I might not see you, but that’s another post) please come up and feel free to invite me to corner where we can talk.

Please.

INVITE.ME.

********************************

At Babble I wrote about ways you can help your kids when you have to travel for work

Then my other friend Schmutzie wrote this.

So I drew this:

Not really, but I thought about it.

The question was asked: what are the 5 best decisions of my adult life so far?

• To stay pregnant
• Bungee-jumping
• Deciding to write it all
• Bread bowls
• Not giving up

To stay pregnant – I was in the position of having to choose to be a mother when I wasn’t prepared or married.  I made the choice to stay pregnant and it started me down this path to a life I NEVER WOULD HAVE CHANGED.

Bungee-jumping – dancing every chance I got, parasailing, learning to surf = these are all other things I did before I had the strokes and don’t regrat NOT doing when I had the chance.  Because I did them.

Deciding to write it all – it took my daughter being diagnosed with cancer for me to decide to start writing it all down.  OK.  In all honesty, that was when I started letting other people read my words. I have never stopped.  Not because I think my words are so important, but I feel the need to get the words out.  They are a fountain you can never stop.

Bread bowls – the day I had the strokes that changed my life, I went out for soup instead of going home. That choice to be out with people who would call an ambulance and not at home alone probably made all the difference.  Yes.  Bread bowls saved my life.

Not giving up – I was laying in bed with my 7yo the other day when I got sick of her whining about how hard subtraction was.  “I can’t do it!”  I lost my temper. Walking hurts.  Learning to sit up was hard.  Letting someone help me do things I was used to doing for myself is embarrassing. I didn’t want to be in a wheelchair.  I didn’t WANT to do everything one-handed. I DON’T EVER WANT TO HEAR HER SAY SHE CAN’T DO ANYTHING. Because one of the best, hardest, constant, most challenging decisions I’ve made is to keep trying.

photo credit :link