Catching Up

Again... That seems to be my theme song these days.

I am very remiss about writing these days. I’ve started many different posts and never got past the first few paragraphs. Some of them are so out-of-date that it is just not feasible to post them. I’ll try again this weekend to get some stuff up. I miss reading and writing but I’ve just got so much going on that I can’t keep up with it all. I suppose if I made a goal of once per week that would be sufficient. I need to update Isaiah’s blog, too. He’s growing like a weed and in 3rd grade this year. Wow! It’s just amazing to see how much he has changed and grown over the past few years, and especially since Rex has come into the picture.

Rex is a wonderful dad to Isaiah and we couldn’t ask for anyone better. Isaiah wants to go to the same college Rex attended (K-State in Manhattan, KS) and have the same type of career (agricultural engineering). It’s just a joy to see them together. Isaiah is an awesome big brother to Anna, too. He has his moments but most of the time he’s great at entertaining her while his parents are busy. She’s taking a few steps now and seems to be into everything. He definitely has to be on his toes when he’s playing with her. She’s quite the little princess.

Ron is doing OK. His last checkup from the kidney doctor was really good. His neurologist gave him an additional pill for Parkinson’s and it seems to be helping. He’s now on three different Parkinson medications (one is a combo pill, so technically four different medications). He’s lost quite a bit of weight and is getting around the house better. He’s fallen a few times (broke a rib and one of our chairs) but for the most part is doing very well.

I had an MRI Arthrogram yesterday (not the best way to spend your birthday but at least they sedated me for it). They injected a contrast material into my left shoulder and then did the MRI (sedated – yay! Thank God for good drugs!). It doesn’t appear that I’ve re-torn my rotator cuff – which is a good thing. However, I found out I have a SLAP lesion (that’s a tear in the Labrum) in my left shoulder. Baseball pitchers get this type of injury but I don’t play ball. The only thing I can think of is that because it’s already a weaker joint than my other arm, that I injured it trying to catch Ron or pick him back up. This is why I’ve had so much pain and so many problems with it. I’ve done the injection, rest, heat/ice, exercise, anti-inflammatory meds, etc. so I wonder if the next step will be arthroscopic surgery. My orthopedic doctor is retiring and the practice is getting a new doctor. So, I don’ t know if he’ll want to start over or just go right for the surgery. I might try to put it off (regardless of the suggestions) until after the first of the year. I think I’d be off work for up to four weeks. Not sure… From what I’ve read, the patient wears an immobilizer sling for 2-4 weeks. Not sure how I’d dress for work with something like that. Oh well – will see what the new doctor says and I won’t see him for at least three more weeks.

I probably won't get caught up on all my blog reading so you'll all just have to bear with me. Or, not. LOL! I try - really I do. But there are just days that I come home and want to do nothing. N.O.T.H.I.N.G. And, that's exactly what I do. I get dinner, do whatever needs to be done around the house, take care of what Ron needs done, and then sit down. Sometimes I read and sometimes I surf Facebook, which is a real time waster. I have to watch myself there.

I'm not really having any issues but just have a lot on my mind.

A friend of mine described a sort of "circle dance" on her blog recently. She is an amazing friend - one I've never met in person - and I often find that what she writes speaks to my soul. She is able to put to words things that I know my heart and soul feels deeply - things that I would say if I could find the words to do so.

I have found myself performing my own version of this circle dance. Do I write, or do I not? Do I care what others think and say, or do I not? I've always wanted to be the "people pleaser" and hate it when someone is mad at me or disappointed in me. I hate it when people decide to drop out of my life without saying what I did to offend them. I can't attempt to "fix" what I don't know is "broken." I think it's even worse to find out that I really did nothing. It would be easier to understand if "I" was responsible for something that I could fix. I have given up trying, though.

When I started blogging, I did so pretty much as a sanity check because it was such a stressful time in my life. I did it for me and then I discovered reading blogs written by others and others started reading my blog. I've made so many friends through this online world. Seriously, how would I have ever gotten to Australia, New Zealand, England, or Japan except through this blog? It's pretty impressive (to me) that the words I've written have spanned the globe and ended up displayed on someone else's computer screen. This is no small thing to me. Unlike gaming, where people live in make-believe worlds with make-believe items, this is real life and involves real people.

I’ve had my share of ups and my share of downs. We all have. None of us is any more special than the next person. Our challenges are just that – “our” challenges. They’re no less challenging or any more challenging than the next person’s. Everything we do and say is subjective. The level of joy, sorrow, ease, or difficulty that each of us experiences is different for each person. I think all we can do is support each other in those challenges – no matter what they might be.

I’ve been much busier since I changed jobs and my writing has suffered. I’ve also tried to not focus so much on “airing” our medical problems. There are those who just don’t want to hear about them. That’s OK. This blog isn’t about them or for them. As such, they may have left and/or decided to not read any longer. Again, that is OK. But, if what I've said has offended anyone then for that, I truly am sorry. Offense has never been my intent and never will be.

This is probably as long of a rambling post as I should do. If you've made it this far - good for you. LOL - if you bailed before you got to the end, that's OK too.

I'll catch up with ya'll later. I still have a book giveaway and an Oak Ridge Boys giveaway (I haven't forgotten!).

Sunday Snaps

Vacation pictures...

Mt. Rainier from the airplane window

Beautiful scenery

Alexander, Zachary, and Katy at Olive Garden

Zachary

Katy and Grandma

Alexander and Grandma

Zachary, Katy, and Grandma

Alexander running away during water balloon fight.

Katy ready to throw balloon.

Tristan is excited in his exer-saucer.

Poor Zachary... We wore him out and he fell asleep eating his dinner.

I'm back...

I've been back a week but have been so very busy that I couldn't update. I'm so far behind that I have just come to the conclusion that I will NEVER catch up. If I haven't commented on your blog for a while - I apologize. I try to get them all read but just can't seem to get it all done.

I had a great time with my grandchildren. They were a little bit shy when I first got there but warmed up quickly. Katy was really attached to me and Zachary wanted to do whatever Katy was doing with me. I would frequently end up with both of them on my lap - not a bad situation at all. I hated to leave them and I tried to prepare them for the fact that I'd not be there when they got up the next morning. I told Katy that I had to go back home to take care of grandpa (the big baby) because he missed me. The next day, Katy went into the bedroom where I'd been sleeping and said yep, I was gone home to take care of big baby grandpa! It was so funny.

I started calling Zachary "little man" when I'd talk to him. One time, I said it to Alexander. He said, "that's Zachary. I'm big man." So we had big man (Alexander), little man (Zachary), and baby man (Tristan). Katy was "Sis" a lot of the time. I don't know why I do it, but I love to give the kids little terms of endearment. I've called Isaiah "bubba" for most of his life, along with several other things. LOL! Anna calls him bubba, too. She gets very excited when she sees her bubbas!

Ron survived his week without me (he had Keith and Lindsay here making sure he did). He was glad to see me and isn't in any hurry for me to take of again any time soon. Next time, he'll have to go with me and we'll get a hotel where he can relax in between visiting the kids. LOL - they are quite active and I think a place for him to retreat would definitely be in order.

Shaun's ship is headed back to the Middle East and we're none too pleased about it. He just got home March 2, 2012 and they expect to be headed back out by the end of August for another 8-month stint. They have already been underway the whole month of July doing maneuvers so they won't get much home time before they pull out. Not too easy for Jenny to handle another winter without Shaun there to help. Thankfully, one of the neighbors has offered to haul trash carts down the street (they have to take them to where the paved road begins) and will help with other things while Shaun is gone. They have some really fantastic neighbors.

Ron went back to the neurologist for a follow-up visit and medication check. The tremors bother him more than anything and his memory (or lack of) bothers me the most. He got a new medication that is supposed to help the tremors (this will make pill #3 and medication #4 - one is a combo pill - that he'll be taking). The doctor also took a look at his latest CT scan and said he has a mild case of hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and it's causing pressure in the areas that deal with short-term memory. The only treatment is a shunt and he is not willing to do that at this time. So, we just have to find a way to work around the memory problems (and they are getting much worse). The doctor may increase Ron's Aricept. His next appointment is in three months so we'll see what kind of changes there are between now and then.

I'm in a training class all week to become a company-certified trainer. There are going to be eight of us who will be responsible for teaching everyone in the plant (nearly 1,000 people) how to do a certain function (corrective action/preventive action [CAPA] plans). The company is changing gears and rolling out a new method for this CAPA procedure. So far (after day 1), it's going well and I think I'm going to enjoy teaching the procedure to people. That's today. I may not be so certain come Thursday or Friday.

I"m going to be hosting a new give-away in a couple of weeks. This one will be in honor of us going to see the Oak Ridge Boys this September. Be thinking about your entry.... I want to know the wildest dream(keeping it CLEAN - no sexual fantasy) you've ever had about a movie star or music star. I'll pick the story I like best (clean and entertaining) and that person will win a special prize (I'm still in the planning stage for this but I will say that it involves the Oak Ridge Boys). I'll even ship out of the country so all of can can join in.

I'll hold the give-away open a couple of weeks after it's posted so you have time to think about what you want to write. When I pick the winner, I'll tell you my wildest dream (pretty far-fetched, perfectly clean). I've had a lot of time to day-dream and night time dream about some of my favorite acts (I am, after all, OLD so there have been a lot) and TV shows. For instance, when I was a kid, I used to dream that our house was in the Old West and frequently a scene between Cowboys and Indians would take place - but more of the comedy variety like Bob Hope in the old westerns. He was one of my very favorite actors/comedians. Yeah - I was weird even back then.

Have a good week! I'll post some WA pictures when I get a chance to get them off my phone.

Hold down the fort!

I hope you all are doing well and surviving this heat we've been dealing with. Triple-digit temperatures has a tendency to make people grouchy and a bit crazy. Not that I'm talking about "me" you know.... not much anyway. The heat is handled quite well at my house (PTL for air conditioning!!!!).

Tomorrow, I'm getting on one of these:


(Compliments of Boeing Images)


And, heading here:



Image Google Images

 To see these:

I'll be back next week. Expect pictures... That's my plan. Lots of pictures.

Have a great week and I hope you all have a safe and fun Independence Day celebration!

My own version of Sunday Snaps

Thanks to Diane over at Southhamsdarling. She does Sunday Snaps nearly every week. I don't usually have what I consider good pictures on a weekly basis to post, but this week I have quite a few that are worth sharing today. These are from our local arboretum and although I took them with my phone, I think they turned out very well.

Today's post brought to you by the letter "C"

Cookies
Coke (diet)
Candy
Cake
Cupcakes
Caramel
Chocolate
Cocoa
Calendula
Cool


There are LOTS more words that are graced by the letter C. Notice one BIG one that is missing from my list? Cancer. Yep, that's right... It's not only missing from my list but it's also (more than likely) missing from my body, too.

{happy dance in KS...} I have to go back in six months to have the spots re-checked but it is very probably benign cysts.

Wordless Wednesday

The Stare Down

The Stare Down, part II



GG, Anna, and Isaiah



My weekend....

It's been a very busy week! I had tons of stuff to do at work (getting more involved and it's great - I love it and they really seem to appreciate what I bring to the table) and had one of the lovely "boob" checks on Thursday afternoon. Friday afternoon, I get a call from the women's center and the technician says, "I don't want you to worry all weekend, but can you come back in Monday morning for some more pictures? The radiologist has some extra shots he wants taken of your left side." Monday? Seriously? But don't let it affect my weekend? Seriously?

Well, I am having oral surgery tomorrow to remove a tooth that is broken down into my jaw bone so Monday morning is out. So, how about Tuesday morning? No, I have lots of meetings then. Can we do a late afternoon appointment again (it had been 4:15 Thursday). No, the radiologist needs to be here to look at the films as they're done. So, I have an 8:00 AM Thursday appointment. Now, I find myself thinking about game shows...

"I'll take Boobs for $500, Alex."
"Pat, can I buy a boob?"

{sigh} It'll be fine... more of an inconvenience than anything else since I'm already taking tomorrow off for the oral surgery.

Yesterday, we headed to KC to visit my mom and to join in her "housewarming" celebration the retirement center hosted for her. It was very nice and she had a great time.

Last night, since we were in KC, I wanted to go to eat at Arthur Bryant's BBQ. They're famous - really famous - for having outstanding BBQ. Although Lindsay is a vegetarian, we figured they'd still have stuff like baked potatoes, cole slaw, fries, and macaroni and cheese. Nope... they have fries and cole slaw. Nothing else that is vegetarian-friendly. Unless, you consider their peanut butter and jelly sandwich (for $3.99). Lindsay said that would be OK - she'd have a PB&J and fries. Wrong again... They have a sign posted that basically says the PB&J is for kids under 11 ONLY and for dine-in only. No carry-out, no adults, no drive-through. Kids under 11 only - no substitution, no excuses, no reasoning - health, personal preference, dietary restrictions, or any other reason you can use. In fact, if the staff sells a PB &J to anyone who can't prove they have an 11 year old child with them, that person can be fired. Seriously? We walked out and went to Bob Evans instead. Wasn't BBQ but it was very good.

Today, we all went to lunch at Golden Corral and everyone had a great lunch. Lots of vegetarian-friendly dishes there.

Better get... I have to be at the dentist's office early in the morning and it's been a long, tiring weekend.

Happy father's day to all the dads out there!

Winners!!!

I'm happy to announce the winners of my book giveaways.

Congratulations to each of you! I will be in contact to let you know how to get your book. Pat, Melissa will autograph and send her book directly so I'll need to get your mailing address.

I would like to do more giveaways but I'd also like to get a little bit more involvement. What would you all like to see next? It's got to be within my budget (fairly small) and something that has broad enough interest to get some participation.

Have a great week!

You know what a city-wide garage sale is like?

Black Friday shopping!!!! Crazy people doing crazy things. It was like people rushing to get to the sale to make sure they had the best opportunity to buy stuff belonging to someone else. It was amazing. There were people turning left in front of others, stepping out into the street without looking for oncoming cars, putting their cars in reverse and starting to back up without looking, etc. And, that was just the stuff that I did.  LOL - j/k... That was really just a few of the things I saw others doing.

Our little town had their city-wide sale today but a lot of people opened 4:00pm to 7:00pm (odd hours - but some were open as late as 8:30pm) and then most were open 8:00am until NOON! That is an odd thing for me - I've never lived any place else that had such odd garage sale hours. It's so hard for working people to hit sales that are open during the day (so, I guess that's why some were open last night) and really hard to make it to all the sales if they're only open for four hours during the day. Plus, I watched Anna for a couple of hours so I missed a lot.

Last night, I picked up a really nice end table (antique) that is just like ones we had when I was growing up. The lady said they were antique - I said that my parents had a set so I knew they were old. I got one for $20 and I was really glad she sold them separately because I didn't need two. I picked the one that was in the best shape. The lion's mouth is the pull for the little drawer, which is perfect for my reading glasses.

I was looking for a nightstand for Ron, but didn't find one that was in any better condition than the one he has. I got a few things for my newest grandson (Tristan), a couple of shirts for Zachary, a shirt for Alexander, a bib, cap, and onesie (brand new) for my new great-nephew, and a mirror ($2) for my car that attaches to the headrest so when Anna's in her car seat, she can see herself in the mirror. She seemed to like it. I bought her a little V-tech ball for $1 and paid $2.50 toward a really nice structured umbrella stroller (it was $7.50).

I also got Ron one of the little mini Lean Mean Grilling Machines for only $5.50. It doesn't have the drip pan, but I can still fix him a hamburger without heating up a bigger skillet. I got a Christmas decoration for my porch for $8. It's a really cute Santa and tree that's made out of old barn wood and has lights. It's really cute. And, I spent $4 on 40 sheets of scrapbook paper. A lot of it is older paper styles, but can't beat ten cents a sheet.

All in all, it was a pretty good shopping day. I got quite a few great deals and didn't spend too much money doing so. I'll just have to keep looking for the nightstand.

Don't forget to enter one (or both) of the book giveaways! They end tomorrow...

Hope your weekend was great. I think mine has been pretty great.