Thursday, March 2, 2006, 6:40 p.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Bitta~

Thanks for your letter of the other day; 'twas good to hear from you again! Hope this finds you well!

We are fine, but my daughter Ronee' (she's 13) fainted while at the doctor's office today. She had cramps because of her monthly period, and by the time she got to her pediatrician's office, the pains were so bad she blacked out. Not to worry, though: Dr. Emmons revived her with smelling salts, and Ronee' was more embarrassed than anything. He had her stay home from school and get some needed rest. She will be back to school tomorrow.

Johnny, my son (also 13), has a doctor's appointment tomorrow at the MDA clinic. He has Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and uses an electric wheelchair most of the time (for short distances, he uses  crutches). He wears oxygen at night because his lungs and heart are growing weaker. It is a scary scenario to be sure, but he has already outlived doctors' predictions by an amazing EIGHT years! (He wasn't expected to live beyond the age of five.)

Hopefully he won't pull what Ronee' did at the appointment! LOL Lord, I PRAY not! LOL

Too late, Bitta: I have already mailed the books I wrote to you. They are on their way! :) I hope you will enjoy them; yes! :)

It wasn't really hard to write a book once I got started. It was actually kind of fun during the end. It also felt good when I mailed it off to the publisher's; but nothing like when I found out that my manuscript was approved! Than I was so happy I thought I was going to go through the roof! :) Yes, there ARE a lot of parenting books out there; that is why the market is so lucrative, and that is why it is so hard to get a book published. But I am determined, and I think the world could learn a thing or two about the disabled when they read my story! :) (Okay, my FAMILY'S story...)

How did I handle being rejected? Well, I cried at first, but then I learned that even the top selling authors like John Grisham, Stephen King, and Margaret Mitchell (she wrote "Gone Wtih The Wind") face rejection, too: not ALL of what they do get published. Did you know that Margaret Mitchell's story idea got rejected a total of 47 TIMES? It's TRUE! So there's hope for us "struggling writers" yet! :) I just pick myself up, dust myself off, and try, try again! :)

I do hope that you writ a book about your family. Yes, it IS daunting at first, but once you get it done, then the accomplishment you feel is quite unbelievable! :) It's like no other feeling in the world! :)

In order for us to see the Northern Lights, there have to be strong solar flares occurring; otherwise, we don't see them. They also have to be what is called "mid-altitude"; if so, then states from Kansas on northward will be able to see the Norhern Lights if conditions are right. Otherwise, we don't see them unless we go on a cruise to Alaska or Canada. The auroras are quite unusual here; that is why they are always such a treat for us here in Tennessee! :)

Speaking of cruises, Bill and I are thinking of going on a cruise to Mexico come June to celebrate our fifteenth wedding anniversary. We were talking about it today, and we have contacted Carnival for more information. We will then prebook if the deal is right. (No kids on this cruise; it's just for the grownups. :) It will give us a much needed break! :) ) So this year we are going on TWO cruises! :)

The weather here is cool; we are expected to warm up later this weekend and by next week. We may get colder down the road, but for now, temps are supposed to be at or above normal for this time of year. Has it warmed up any there?

Well, you made me hungry: I happen to enjoy kapushta and keilbasa, too! :) I make it with sauerkraut and caraway seeds; I make it German style. My family absolutely LOVES it! Whenever I make my special German cabbage, my family INHALES it! LOL It is very tasty! :) YUMMO! :) (Tonight, though, it's Cajun night: I made shrimp and andouille jambalaya. The family gobbled it all up.)

Well, I am going to tackle Mount Dirty Dishes, so I will go for now. I will write again another day. Take care, Bitta, and God bless you always!

(((HUGS))) and much love, your Tennessee friend, Louie Mayrah. :D