Red Cross & Darth Vader

The title doesn’t really go together (though you might need the Red Cross if you met Darth Vader 😉 )  but these were just two happenings from today…

 

…Isaiah came out with his very own ‘Darth Vader’ mask on, made by him, and it even says ‘Darth Vader’ on it so that we know just who he is!

 

 

Not sure what inspired them this time…the only ‘Star Wars’ they’ve really seen is from the Piano Guys and we haven’t seen it recently.  (Usually whatever they draw/act out reflects what they’ve seen recently.  After looking at a book about the Titanic, they were suddenly drawing huge pictures of ‘ships’ and ‘titanics’ 😀 )

Nevertheless, they were obviously having fun.  Notice their ‘light sabers’?!

 

We convinced them to show us one of their ‘fights’ on video…have you ever heard Darth Vader giggle like that in a middle of a light saber fight???  😀

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koV2TfoTkuY&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

 

 

Then later today, the four of us older girls got to go give blood at a local Red Cross blood drive.  It was a first for all of us except Cassia, who had done it back in September.  She talked us all into doing it this time.  We are all glad she did, though 😀  Not only was it great to be able to donate blood, but everyone there was very nice…and funny!  They had us smiling or laughing the whole time 😀

 

Cassia: As I sit here typing away, I  feel the bandage on my arm, and the annoying little band-aid that is about to fall off on my finger.  🙂

I donated blood back in September, and it’s been long enough ago, (hmm, that’s a funny word combination: “ it’s been long enough ago”. 🙂 ) that I could donate again.   Last week I got a postcard in the mail telling me about a local blood drive coming up, I thought “Hmm, maybe”.

But then I got on their website and saw that there was going to be an even more local blood drive on the 30th, today.

I thought and prayed about it and did some spreading of the event…to my sisters! 🙂 And yippee I yea!  Jessica, Leah and Susannah came and donated with me! 🙂 That was fun, doing it all together!

After arriving we read our little packets of information, (they are long and boring just so you know,) and went through different hoops to make sure that we were eligible to donate.

The Red Cross personnel that took our blood was very funny, particularly the older gentleman that took my mine, once I was in the chair he asked if we were sisters,  I told him yes.

Then just a few minutes later I told him that we were sisters but that this wasn’t all of us.

From there on we had something to talk about, the conversation was funny and interesting all the way to the end! 🙂

He did a great job, the needle hurt!  But don’t all needles? 🙂

Afterwards he told me to get something sugary to eat and drink at the snack table. I got orange juice, animal crackers and some little cookie type things…and before you can call me a pig… 🙂 …Susannah ate even more than  me! LOL! I’m just teasing her, she did eat more than me, but the reason we ate so much, was because they offered it to us! 🙂

So to sum it all up…I’m glad I was able to donate and help someone!

Oh! And one more thing, okay two. My iron was 16.4 which they tell me is good, those numbers mean nothing to me except that it means my iron was the highest of all of our girls! Hee hee!

Second thing is  my blood type is B positive, good life message isn’t it?!

Have a nice day and…Be Positive! 🙂

 

 

 

Susannah: I am supposed to write about my “experience” of giving blood. This is not a good idea…being the so-not-a-writer I am. It was a cool experience. I should have worn long sleeves, but thankfully I had my coat to keep me warm. Do they think that people like to be cool while giving blood? What I heard from all of them nobody likes to be cool while donating blood. Get my definition of cool? Good.

Anyway,  Cassia did it in September and I almost joined her. She doesn’t know that, do you Cassia? So I seriously tried to convince myself to wonder about thinking about it.  So today we did it. My iron count was the third highest. Ha! {So there Jessica!} I’ve had my blood drawn three times before for testing, and the first time I almost passed out. The second and third time I really took it easy so I wasn’t sure about donating an entire pint! I drank lots of water, which I am sure helped, and my experience was great! I didn’t feel lightheaded at all and I am sure I’ll be donating more 🙂  {Ouch. My arm hurts.}

Jessica and I were next to each other and I got started first.  You know, if they didn’t scrub your arm away with iodine, then maybe the sting of the needle wouldn’t hurt so much. Maybe next time I’ll tell them that I am allergic to iodine? Just kidding.  They told me I didn’t have to watch them put the needle  in, so Jessica said, “I’ll watch for you!” Thank you berry much. So I watched them put the needle in her…to make sure they did it right 🙂  Meany her…she beat  me in the race of filling up a bag of blood (and isn’t about to let me forget that). (TMI? Sorry!) But just by the fraction of a 1/4 of an inch.

They (the Red Cross people) were very funny, which was nice because it kept my mind off of the fact that they were sticking needles in me and that I was giving an entire pint of blood. Blood and needles don’t really bother me unless I really get to thinking about it. Besides, I’ve had enough needles stuck in me before that I knew I’d be just fine. 🙂 “Bruce”, one of the Red Cross personnel, was especially funny…kept on trying to pronounce my name, but couldn’t. “SHUSHANNA can sit here…well, since you are SUSHANNA’s sister…we’re moving you only because you are SUSHANA’s sister…SUUUSSSSSAAAANNNNNNAAAA…SSSSUUUSSANNNAA…did I say it right? No? SSSUUUUSSSANAAAAA? I said it right?” 🙂

Afterwards, we sat ’round a table eating crackers, cookies and drinking water. (We graciously declined the pop…ugh)  So, to sum it all up, I had a great experience, did not die,  faint, or get dizzy, and will most likely (probably certainly) donate again! It was fun doing with three of my best friends…the best possible way to it 🙂  The end. (Did it sound like I ran on and on? Probably cause I did.)

 

Leah: When Cassia first announced that there was going to be a blood drive here locally, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity, but I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to do it.  I’ve been interested in in donating blood for some time, but just never quite made it to the point of actually doing it 🙂  But Cassia and Susannah convinced me to join them, being the convincing sisters that they are, and then I joined forces with them in trying to convince Jessica to do it too–and we were victorious!

I was a little nervous to begin with, but the people there were very friendly and soon put me at ease 🙂 After reading several papers, and answering a bunch of questions, and getting my finger pricked and blood pressure taken and etc, etc, etc, we finally got to the real thing!  A little ways into it, I started feeling light headed and like I was going to pass out–THAT didn’t make me feel very at ease! Since it probably wasn’t a very good idea to pass out, they put my feet up, gave me some juice to drink, and put a fan on me 🙂 After that I felt much better, and finished filling my pint without any further trouble. But then when I was finished and sat up again, the light-headedness came back–so up went my feet again, more orange juice came my way, and the fan once again was pointed on me  (which, by the way, started to make me cold–it was a powerful fan!). But after a little while I was fine, and was able to join the other three girls at the ‘refreshment table’ where they had been having a good time while I was not so much 🙂 They really quite deserted me! Really though, despite the light-headedness problem, it was a good experience, I am very glad I did it, and will most probably do it again 🙂 And I am looking forward to finding out what blood type I am–since I’ve wanted to know that for years 🙂

And now I will leave you with a bit of wisdom I have gleaned from this experience–if you ever donate blood, drink lots of water! Like, LOTS of water 🙂

 

 

 

Jessica: We all had fun comparing experiences and numbers…such as whose iron was the highest, whose needle didn’t hurt, who watched them insert the needle, whose blood flowed faster…sorry…too much info?!  😀  I had fun razzing Susannah that she started before me and I was done before her.  However, as she already stated, her iron count was higher than mine, so of course she teased me about that 🙂

When Cassia first brought up the blood drive, I originally wasn’t going to donate, firstly because while I wanted to donate sometime in my life, I just wasn’t sure about it yet 😀   Secondly,  I wasn’t sure that it was a good idea for the four of us older ones to do it all at once–I had heard that you weren’t supposed to lift heavy things for a little while afterwards and thought it would not be a good thing if all four of us had to take it really easy.  I then learned that you just aren’t supposed to lift things with that arm.  So last night at the last minute I gave in and said, “Okay, okay I surrender!”  Just kidding…but I wasn’t about to let the three of those girls have all the fun without me!

When we were arrived we were given some papers to read…lots of them.  With every question imaginable.  I was supposed to be person no. 6, but person no. 5 (Leah) went off to hang up her coat,  and the lady came to get the next person when Leah was gone…so I got to be before Leah 😉

 

Then I was asked lots more questions…all necessary, but lots of questions nonetheless 😀
They pricked my finger to test it to make sure I wasn’t anemic and whatever else they test for… and I just kept thinking, “Just hurry up and get the real needle in me!”

Finally after more questions, they finally were ready to stick me.  The man who ‘stuck’ me with the needle said, “Okay, if you don’t want to watch, now would be the time to look away.”  So I looked away, then I thought, “hey, I can’t see this everyday!”  So I watched, and was pleasantly surprised that it hurt less than the finger stick.

And this is all striking me very funny how the four of us are rambling about blood, needles, etc 😀

I was watching Susannah’s bag and then my bag fill up (she was to the right of me), and I said, “I’m gonna beat you!”   To which she replied by just making a face at me 😀  We were in a very ornery mood, if you can’t tell 😉
Then it got closer and closer to the top, and somebody said something about, “Is it a race?”…then the guy taking care of both of our needles got both of our clamps at the same time, clamped mine first, and said, “You’re done!”

Then of course I turned to Susannah and said, “I beat you!”

I think our ‘race’ amused the Red Cross personnel…but we were just returning the favor since they were amusing us 😉

Susannah, Cassia and I all got done about the same time, and Leah was just getting started.  As we were enjoying our cookies and orange juice we noticed all of the sudden that Leah’s feet were propped up, someone had went to get her some orange juice, and they had put a fan on her.  We looked at each other and said, “Oh.  Leah must be having problems.”  then we went back to our cookies.  Alright, alright, I’m teasing 😀  I did go over and ask her if she was doing okay and she said that she started feeling lightheaded and decided she’d better say something, which explains all the special treatment she was getting 😉

All in all, it was a great experience, and also happened to be a very fun experience, and one I would repeat…and I wouldn’t even need Cassia to talk me into it this time 😉

 

By the way, you have Cassia to thank for all this info you got about blood and needles…I was  just going to write a short little thing about it and Cassia said, “We should all do it from each of our perspectives!”   Which turned out to be quite fun, actually.  Hopefully you have sweet dreams tonight in spite of our stories 😀

 

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