Sharon,
Thanks for the update I enjoyed reading it.  You have a wonderfully positive 
attitude!  I truly believe that the Lord will work things out for the best 
of all concerned.
Virgie and Hoshi
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sharon Hooley" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2006 7:18 PM
Subject: Update on Me


> Hi all!
>
> Thought I'd catch you up on some news.  I coppied and pasted and changed 
> some things from what I wrote to my family, so you might see some repeats 
> in things I've told you before.
>
> I've read a good book, One Minute Millionaire, not too long ago.  I think 
> they have some New Age beliefs that I don't agree with, but they have some 
> good marketing strategies.  They divided the book into 2 parts; the 
> left-brain section and the right-brain section.  The left gives straight 
> information, and the right is a novel about some people who carried out 
> that information.  this has inspired me, not only to make music, but also 
> to write my life's story and include information that would be helpful for 
> people who face similar challenges that I have faced.  I plan to sell it 
> as an e-book as well as POD (print on demand).  I plan to use this 
> website:
>
> http://www.CDBaby.com
>
> , where you can send your music for distribution.
>
> Although I can control the sound of my keyboard from the computer, I still 
> have some things I need to straighten out.  I plan to call Tech Support 
> tomorrow morning.  I hope we have enough time to do this all at once. 
> Then maybe I can get started in recording!
>
> As some of you know, I applied to go to the deaf-blind retreat at Seabeck, 
> which is across the ferry from Seattle and not too far from my sister 
> Maxine!  I've been accepted!  I also applied for and received a partial 
> scholarship, so I only have to pay for half the fee, $135!  I'll try to 
> pay $45 at a time.  Now I'm looking for a plane ticket.  I plan to leave 
> on August 27 (on a Sunday), and return on September 10 (also on a Sunday), 
> when her son Erick goes back to college.  It's gonna be fun!
>
> this past week some of us Daybreakers went to the movies.  One of the 
> choices was Curious George, which I'd been wanting to see.  For those who 
> don't know, curious George is a little monkey who has lots of adventures 
> and gets himself into scrapes.  There are a bunch of books about him, and 
> I was able to order some from the library in Utah for talking books and 
> books in Braille.  I figured that there would be a lot of animation and 
> less conversation, so I asked the worker who was with me to describe it to 
> me.  I used the microphone of my assistive listening device, (I wear 
> powerful hearing aids and often use an FM system.), and got a lot out of 
> that, but even then I had a hard time understanding him all too often. 
> I'd unknowingly dropped my alphabet glove in my nephew Joel's Blazer when 
> we went down to the desert and to Mom and Dad's last Sunday.  I was 
> missing it, but then I realized that only a few people would be able to 
> "type" on my fingers quickly, but that many more people know how to type 
> on a standard typewriter keyboard.  So I've decided to look into an 
> alternative way of communicating.  I'm not going to wait until I can't 
> understand speech at all.  One device has a keyboard for writing and a 
> screen for sighted readers, and the other side has a Braille display and 
> scroll feature that let's you read at your own pace.  Another device I'm 
> considering sends vibrations to your skin to help the deaf understand 
> noise and speech!  I plan to call the company and ask if it could 
> supplement my remaining hearing.  If I decide to try it, I could probably 
> use it for 60 days, but you have to get it through a hearing aid dealer, 
> or company, I'm ot sure which.  I've also requested the Joy of Signing, in 
> Braille from Utah.  My care provider Blanca wants to learn sign language 
> too.
>
> On Memorial Day, Blanca's family is going to have a big celebration.  Her 
> cousin and his family with him plan to come from California.  they plan to 
> look for a place to live around here in Idaho.
>
> My adopted niece, whose name is also Blanca, is getting married on the 
> 30th of June.  She wants me to play the piano at the church, and would 
> like for me to play part of the Zorro Theme song as she walks in.  I had 
> my sister get me the sheet music, and I had a former piano teacher dissect 
> it for me so that I could understand it more clearly.  I've pretty much 
> finished learning it.  I practice it and other pieces on my keyboard, but 
> at some point I need to do it on the piano at the church.  All of my 
> siblings and in-laws will probably be there!  The reception will be in her 
> parents' backyard.  I'm hoping that my care provider, who came from El 
> Salvador as a teenager, can get material from Guatemala, where my niece is 
> from, to make me a dress for the reception.  If not, I'll wear the dress 
> that she already has, with a blouse underneath.  She might also have a 
> pair of sandals I can use.  I also have a purse from Guatemala that 
> another care provider gave me when she and her family went on a short 
> mission trip to Beliz.  (I don't know how to spell that one.)
>
> One of my friends, Tawney, from Daybreak has been planning to move in with 
> me, but so far that I've heard, Welfare is saying no, because she has too 
> many points in bad health, and Blanca and Jose already have a man who is 
> nursing home care status.  Tawney said she's going to fight it, so we'll 
> see.  It's also possible that she might get to live with Blanca's 
> daughter-in-law, who is interested in becoming a care provider, so I would 
> still get to have her around here a lot.  It comforts me to know that God 
> knows what's best for everyone, and He'll guide us and events as we seek 
> Him.
>
> Sharon
>