Turning To The Blogosphere For Help

**For those looking for current updates on Everett, please scroll down to the bottom of the post! Thank you!! **


Meet Everett.

Everett is a very smart, very serious, very sweet almost-3-year-old who happens to belong to a very dear friend of mine. Heather and I have been friends for 9 years, and even though she hasn't lived in Charleston for 7 of those years, we've managed to maintain our friendship despite the distance between us.


You see, Heather's husband, Blake, is in the Air Force. They've lived all over the country, and Blake is currently serving overseas. Heather and Everett, along with older brother Jaiden, and younger brother Cooper, are currently all living in California with Heather's family. We miss them ever so much, but manage to stay in touch with Facebook and pre-planned phone calls.

Me with Heather, summer of 2010.

Blake, Jaiden, Heather, and baby Everett, with little Cooper still in Mommy's belly.

A few days ago, Heather began posting that Everett wasn't feeling well. Battling the stomach flu, Heather was worried that he wasn't staying hydrated. After much worry and deliberation, she decided to take him to the local ER, in hopes that they could give him something to make him feel better. Upon the first visit it was decided that Ev simply had the stomach flu, and that the best course of action was to take him home, let him rest, and give him lots of fluids.


The next morning, Everett seemed worse. Heather was having a hard time getting him to drink anything, and she was worried about dehydration. Back to the ER they went. Everett was eventually admitted to the hospital, where they planned to keep him overnight for IV fluids and observation. Blood was drawn, and Heather settled in for a long night.


It quickly became apparent that Everett was dealing with more than just the stomach flu. Tests showed that his kidneys and liver were not functioning properly. Heather was told that Everett's kidneys were shutting down, and that it was possible that he had contracted the E-coli virus. And the staff decided it was best to airlift Heather and Everett to a children's hospital in San Francisco.


As if that wasn't scary enough, Heather was told that, due to weather and weight restrictions, she would be unable to fly with Everett. She would have to drive. And the children's hospital was 5 hours away.

Little man, Everett, at the beach with us last year.

A very sandy Everett enjoying a juice box.

Using her magic Mom card, Heather managed to wheedle her way onto the flight. A few hours later, Everett was admitted to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in San Francisco.


In the short time that he's been there, Everett has received 2 blood transfusions and has undergone 2 rounds of dialysis. His kidneys are functioning at 10%. Heather has been by his side every second of the way, and since her husband is serving his country overseas, and despite how much he longs to be there, Heather is there alone. Little Everett is fighting with all he's got! But he's still a sick little guy.

I'm asking everyone I know to support this family, in whatever way they see fit. Prayers, positive thoughts, lighting candles, quiet moments---Positivity Flowing Westward is all I'm asking for. Can we all make a pledge to take a moment, today and every day till Everett's home again, to think of him? If we can, and we do, I'm convinced he'll be the picture of health in no time flat. 


Heather's strength + Everett's tenacity + family support and love + tons of positive thoughts and prayers from all around the world = the kind of math I can get behind. Let's do this, readers!

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About a year ago, when Everett came to visit us before he was even one year old, he and I bonded over an old Jackson Five song. It was playing in the kitchen while Heather and I were cooking dinner, and Everett scooted up to me, patted my leg, and lifted his arms to be picked up. I asked if he wanted to dance, and he nodded. And so, we danced. Every time I hear "La La Means I Love You" I think of little Everett. So I'm playin' this song for you, Ev.







 **Update, 4/3/12: I spoke briefly with Heather last night on the phone. She is exhausted and worried, but as strong as ever. Everett is resting well, and is finally able to eat a little something without throwing it back up. While we're still not sure what caused it, Everett has been officially diagnosed with an illness called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. Please click the link if you'd like to educate yourself about this illness, and to learn about the long road they have ahead. Thank you in advance to those who will read this and say a prayer. Even more thanks to those who have already prayed, and will keep praying, until little Everett comes home. 

Heather also wanted me to extend a big thank you, from the bottom of her heart, for all the support she and her family have received. 

I will keep you all posted as I find out more!


**Update, 4/9/12: Easter arrived with lots of good news for Everett and his family! He has successfully urinated twice on his own since I first posted. His lab work is starting to show small improvements in his red blood cells, and he was even able to go all day Sunday without having to endure dialysis. There's still a long road ahead of them, but Everett is beginning to show signs of healing. They are still unsure as to what introduced HUS into Everett's system. After many blood tests it was concluded that the e-Coli virus was not the culprit. 


I'm sharing a photo that Heather took of Everett opening his Easter basket, provided by the hospital, yesterday. It's the smile that was seen around the world. With continued positivity and prayers, I'm sure that Everett will get better in no time! Thanks to all who are still praying!!

T.G.I.F. Indeed!

There are two very important facts that I need to make clear in order for this post to make sense.


Fact Number One: I am NOT a huge Nicholas Sparks fan.


Before you start to throw your Cheerios at your computer monitor let me explain. I wanted to be a Nicholas Sparks fan. You see, he moved to New Bern, NC, shortly after the success of his first novel. And that happens to be a little town in the same county where my husband grew up. So you see, Sparks is the resident celebrity in Pamlico County. So, when I finally picked up one of his books (I chose "Message in a Bottle"), I wanted it to be really really really good. 

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It wasn't really really really good.


STOP throwing Cheerios, people!


In truth, the writing wasn't horrible. I'll give him that. But there were scenes in the book that I knew were specifically written to force me to feel something: sadness, anticipation, hope, deep desperation. I felt like Sparks, as an author, was pushing me to go the places he wanted me to go, rather than leading me there with good storytelling. And when it got to the end...well, I felt cheated and angry. Like I'd wasted my time.


I haven't read another Nicholas Sparks book since.


(Confession: I did see The Notebook. And it was a good movie. But I won't read the book. I also saw Nights in Rodanthe. I wanted to strangle Sparks after that one, too.)


Fact Number Two: I'm a musical junkie.


This you should already know, if you've been reading Abby Gabs for any length of time. It doesn't take much to pull me in to a television series or a movie if there's singing and dancing involved. 


Rewind to 2007. I'm watching the Oprah Winfrey show, and she's interviewing her bestie, John Travolta, about the upcoming revival of "Hairspray." I was psyched about it from that point on. And a few months later, with the release of the movie, I was introduced to Zac Efron for the very first time.


Ok, that's a total lie. I already knew about Zac Efron. And I might have also already known all the words from High School Musical...


What? Don't judge me. Musical junkie, remember?


At any rate, I loved Zac Efron before Zac Efron was cool. It didn't bother me that he was young enough to be...well...my significantly younger brother. I thought he was adorable, and talented, and adorable...


Ahem.


Anyway, to say that I'm an Efron fan might be considered a slight understatement.


Bringing it back to modern day, I recently saw a trailer for a movie that I'm dying to see. Starring Zac Efron. Based on a book written by Nicholas Sparks. And because I love my readers, I'm sharing the trailer for The Lucky One here today.

There are two very important statements I need to make in order to close this post efficiently.

Statement Number One: Wow. Somebody grew up. Hello, Zac Efron.

Statement Number Two: TGIF, indeed!

If any of you have read The Lucky One by Nicolas Sparks, please warn me ahead of time if someone dies. Particularly if it's Zac's character, the love of his life, his mother, his dog, his ailing grandparents, the child, or anyone else. I know Nicky's M.O. I'd rather be warned. Thanks a million!

Things My Husband Says

Like many Americans, we buy our toothbrushes in the convenient multi-packs, so that when it's time to switch, we don't have to try and remember to buy more toothbrushes first. (Which works out well...until the multi-pack turns up empty some random Thursday night.) 

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Recently it was time to make the old switcheroo. Ever the thoughtful wife, I asked Brian which color he would prefer. Forgetting momentarily that my husband is somewhat color blind, I held up his choices: dark royal blue or cheerful Carolina Panther's turquoise (or for those non-football fans, think Caribbean blue.)

To say that I was hoping he'd pick the dark blue so I could have the Carolina Panther's turquoise toothbrush would be 100% accurate. But I never thought in a million years he'd pass it by. So I just held my breath and waited for him to choose the toothbrush I wanted. Which would have been fine. Mostly.

Brian spent a second looking at the toothbrushes in my hand, then cleared his throat and said, "I want the blue one."

"Really?" I replied, surprised. "I thought you'd take the other one!"

"Why? It's brown!" he said.

Confused, I glance back at the toothbrushes in my hand. It occurred to me that turquoise might be one of those rare colors that confuses him if not seen in some sort of context. Decidedly anxious to make the Carolina Panther's turquoise toothbrush my own, I eagerly squirted toothpaste on it, shoved it in my mouth and said, "But honey, it's not brown, it's Carolina Panther's turquoise!"

Brian, the eternal toddler, shouted, "NUH-UHN!" and raced to the bedroom. Moments later he appeared around the corner holding his Steve Smith jersey in hand. I extracted the toothbrush from my mouth, held it up for comparison, and said, "See? Exact match."

Sullen and feeling fooled, Brian muttered a curse word under his breath and stomped back to the bedroom. As he's hanging up his Steve Smith jersey I hear him say, "Stupid color blindness." And I giggle.

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I got a phone call from my husband yesterday afternoon. As is our fashion, it was a quick conversation using as few words as possible.

Brian: Hey babe. I'm heading to Target. Need anything?
Abby: Yes. Body wash, please.

B: Suave?
A: Yep.

B: Scent?
A: Whatever you think smells pretty.

B: Got it. Love ya, bye.

A: Love ya, bye.

A little while later, Brian returned from the store bearing his purchases. I headed into the kitchen to help him unload the bags. That's when I discovered the body wash I asked him to pick up for me. And it was this:

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I read the label aloud. "Suave Naturals 'Everlasting Sunshine,' huh?" I flicked the lid open and gave it a sniff. "Oooh, babe, that does smell good. Thanks."

Brian's voice, muffled from the living room, said, "I didn't buy it because it smells good, I bought it because of the name."

"Really? Why?"

Brian peeked his head around the corner, a wide grin on his face, and said, "Because you're MY everlasting sunshine."

Score one for the hubs.

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We hopped in the car one afternoon, bound for a since-forgotten location. As we drove out of our driveway, I pulled my lip gloss out of my purse, flipped the visor down, and began to apply.

At that moment, Brian glances out of his window and notices a neighbor painting the roof of a dilapidated old trailer that lives in the lot next to ours. He snorted, then said, "What's the point? It's like putting lipstick on a pig!"

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Completely unaware of what was going on outside of the car, I lowered my lip gloss and looked over at him, hurt and confused. "Excuse me?" I say.

Brian took a minute to realize what just transpired, and how I must have assumed he was speaking about me. He threw his head back and roared with laughter, leaving me to wonder why I was just highly insulted by the man I married. In his fits of hysteria, he was finally able to point out the neighbor on the roof with the paint brush. 

I still didn't think it was funny. 

Now I do.

My Relationship with Creativity

Creativity. On my list of "Abby's best traits," Creativity is Numero Uno. I've always considered myself to be a creative person. It's a major part of who I am: as a person, and especially as a writer. Without Creativity, Abby Gabs wouldn't be what it is today. Every single blog I've ever published came from a spark of Creativity...whether it was a silly blog, a serious blog, a video blog, or an illustrated blog. Every single one came from my pal, Creativity.

Creativity isn't just something you pick up along the way. It's not really something you can learn, or even something that can be taught. I truly believe that those who are creative are born that way. There's something in them begging to be released, and whether it's through music, or art, or poetry, or dance, or humorous blogs fueled by Photoshop, those creative people find their outlet and learn to shine.


Truth is, Creativity and I go WAAAAAY back.

As a child, Creativity was with me in just about every facet of my life. My imagination was so rich, you would have been hard-pressed to convince me that I wasn't Shera, Princess of Power. My ruffled blouse was really armor gleaming in the sunlight. My plastic yellow sword quivered with magical properties. And the back porch was a realm of possibilities and adventure.


It wasn't just a game to pass a rainy Tuesday afternoon. For me, it was as real as playing with a puppy in the floor of my living room, or learning to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from my Mom, or tossing water balloons with my brother. In those moments of Creativity, I experienced what it was to be a super hero. I was a dancer on Broadway, a detective on the hunt for the truth, an acrobat in the circus, and a backup singer for the New Kids on the Block.


I carried that predilection for imagination into my adult life. I've never been afraid to put myself out there, silly or not. And my Creativity has carried me each time I sat down in front of my computer to write a blog.

When something like Creativity is such an important part of your daily life, its absence can be somewhat unsettling. It's a rare occasion when my imagination is stunted, or blocked, or otherwise compromised. And when I'm unable to turn to my creative outlet for comfort, I feel incomplete. Ideas pile up in the corners of my brain and begin to collect dust. My light shines just a little less bright. And Creativity goes on the back burner.

There can be any number of reasons why Creativity and I go our separate ways: stress, anger, confusion, laziness, distraction. Life can get in the way. Sometimes I don't even see it happening to myself. It takes a pointed question from someone in my life to hold a mirror up for me to see what's happening in the land of Creativity.


And yesterday, my husband was the Holder of the Mirror.


When I said to him that I was thinking of taking a break from Abby Gabs, or maybe even quitting all together, his response was a loud and resounding, "WHY?" And in his infinite wisdom he said to me, "Abby, there's nothing so important that it should take you away from your own Creativity. It's part of who you are, and part of what I love about you. And NOTHING is so important that it should take creativity out of your life."


And so I sat down in front of my computer today, and I closed my eyes, and focused. I called out to Creativity and woke him from a deep slumber. And I channeled my inner child and drew a portrait depicting how Creativity and I have rekindled our relationship.

And it hit me. Baby...I'm back. 


**This post is dedicated to Brian: for being my solid-as-a-rock foundation, my soft place to land, my constant cheerleader, and above all else, my very best friend. Thanks for the encouragement, babe. You rock.

Why Brian Really Needs Ear Plugs Around The House Lately

My life has recently been overtaken by Broadway.


Does that mean I've been walking around singing show tunes at the top of my voice, breaking into tap dances at inopportune moments, and overuse of jazz hands?





Yes, in fact, that is exactly what it means.


There are two very big reasons why Brian now has to suffer through my very bad vibrato...and I'm here to share them with you today.


Reason #1: Smash
If you've ever been remotely interested in theater life, this show on NBC will rock your socks. For a woman who was once a little girl who dreamed of becoming Little Orphan Annie so I could bring down the house with my rendition of "Tomorrow,"  this show isn't just another television show. It's like musical theater crack. 

Every single episode is filled to the brim with intrigue, scandal, and artistry. The cast (Katharine McPhee! Megan Hilty! Debra Messing! Jack Davenport! Anjelica Houston!!!!) is fantastic. The music (all totally Broadway inspired numbers about Marilyn Monroe's life) is fantastic. The story line (sex, intrigue, dream-chasing, infidelity, competition, all culminating in typical theater fashion) is fantastic.


Guys. Are you hearing me? This Show Is Fantastic.


For me, the key to a FANTASTIC musical show, be it in the theater or on screen, is that you walk away from it singing the songs. And I've been humming the songs from Smash now since it started  8 weeks ago. 


Seriously. I don't even know half of the lyrics and I'm still belting out "History is Made At Night" in my shower on a daily basis.




SO GOOD!!!


I can only make it so clear, people. Let me just say that I've already gone back and watched the entire season again On Demand. And I loved every single bit of it the second time through. I've already cleared a space on my DVD shelf for this series when it comes out on DVD. And as soon as NBC releases the songs from Season 1 on iTunes...I will be listening to it All. The. Time.


For now I have to wait until Monday nights at 10 o'clock on NBC to find out what happens next. In the meantime, I'm going to keep singing the lyrics I know, and humming the lyrics I don't. Loudly. And Badly.


Reason #2: Wicked
This famous musical about the Wicked Witch of the West, based on the book written by Gregory McGuire, is one that most people have heard of already. It made its debut on the Broadway stage WAAAAY BAAAACK in 2003, and the music and characters are easily recognizable by most.


In fact, the original Glinda (Kristin Chenoweth) and Elphaba (Idina Menzel) have been featured characters on GLEE. Several of the songs from the soundtrack have also been belted out by Rachel, or Kurt, on the show as well. You can't get any more famous than that, am I right?


So why am I so currently obsessed with all things Wicked?

Because the traveling Broadway show is coming to Charleston in April. And guess who has tickets?!?!?!?!?!?!


(That would be me.)


I've wanted to see Wicked since it first became nationally known, and to finally have the chance to go and see it on a big stage, LIVE...well, I'm just really excited about it. If you can't already tell.


My new life's theme song is "Defying Gravity." It is my new ring tone. And when I'm not singing songs from Smash, I'm belting it out on a regular basis.





Sigh. I cry every time I see it. So powerful!


Also, I want to be Kristin Chenoweth when I grow up. Just sayin'.


I simply CANNOT WAIT to see the show in its entirety next month. And so, in preparation, I've been listening to the soundtrack practically endlessly. So, I will be ready to sing the songs all the way to the theater, all the way through the show, and all the way back home again.


What? That's totally normal.


I can't think of a conclusion to this blog that is witty and funny, and so I'm just going to be completely honest. I'm going to go spend hours on You Tube now, looking for videos from my two new favorite musicals. Have a nice day. Bye now.