Back at work today!

Barely might I add! I started my steroid pack on Saturday morning. I was able to go out Saturday for both of Aleena’s parties, while wearing a socks I might add! We had a great time at both parties. Her friends party was at a Pottery Place where all of the kids painted ceramic pieces. Then we went to my moms subdivision for a cookout and to do some swimming at her pool there. We had a great time. I was/am a little dissapointed that noone from Jeff’s family showed to the party (or called to wish her a happy birthday on Thursday, with the exception of her grandma and grandpa, an email from her cousin Adeana) but we still had a great time. After my day of partying I ended up taking 2 vicodin to help get me through the night, my foot was KILLING me…

I woke up yesterday excited that a lot of the swelling had gone down, I even had “wrinkles” on my big toe from the loss of fluid build up. It looked like it had been soaking in water all night! LOL. And of course I took that as a sign to get up and get busy! I scrubbed down my kitchen, mopped etc.. Did some laundry then went to mom and dads and sorted there meds. By the time I got home I was exhausted and sore again. I spent the rest of the evening with my foot propped up and Jeff cooked dinner. I decided to try and sleep without any pain medicine as I felt pretty good. Well I was up at 2:30AM unable to go back to sleep!!! I guess the steroids have made me an insomniac?? Lol. So, I got to work around 5:30 this AM; I think I’ll be leaving here around noon and heading home for the day. My foot looks a lot better, pretty much back to normal, but it’s still a little uncomfortable to walk on. Tonight I’ll be taking a benadryl or something to help me sleep all night!!!

Happy Monday! PS; Aleena gets her first cavity filled this afternoon! I hope she does well.

DR Update

I just went to the DR for a follow up on the Gout. She did some blood work to test my Uric Acid Levels. And she told me to stop taking my bactrim and is placing me on a pack of steroids. She said that typically works faster then the anti-inflammatory on the swelling. And then the vicodin as needed for the pain. She also gave me the diet plan that I should be on http://www.joint-pain.com/low-purine-diet.html ... She said again that I'm the least likely candidate to get this. That typically its an overweight man who consumes a lot of meat and/or alcohol. So she's not sure if it just has to do with my trip to MI, or if it's something I'll deal with forever. The test results will be back in on Mon or Tuesday. So we'll see!!

Sick now.. :-(

My medicines are making me very sick.. I'm getting up every hour right now getting sick even though I have nothing left to get sick on. :-( I don't go to the DR until tomorrow afternoon for a followup; so I'm going to try and stop some of my meds until I can be seen. Today is my baby girls birthday and Jeff and the kids are out to eat to celebrate it. I'm so bummed about it. She was crying when they left because I can't go with them.

Gout??

Yesterday I was diagnosed with Gout in my foot and the pain I had by yesterday evening was unbearable. I literally was crying with every move I made because of the pain in my foot.. I've been trying to do some research on it as I know little about it... and found this paragraph on

http://www.gout.com/causes_gout/causes_gout.aspx

Gout is a kind of arthritis that “flares” periodically—so the pain of gout is experienced as an attack. Gout attacks usually appear with no warning and leave sufferers in severe pain. In fact, gout is one of the most painful medical conditions. It's been compared with childbirth and bone fractures. Gout attacks usually last from 3 to 10 days and can cause knife-like pain, tenderness, redness, heat, and swelling in an affected joint. These are all signs of “inflammation,” so gout is sometimes called an inflammatory arthritis.

Last night even the air from the fan would cause my foot to really hurt.. I compared it to the time I hit my toe really hard on a coffee table, the heat that automatically went through my foot, the sharp tingling feeling all over my foot and the throbbing.. usually that goes away after some time.. it's constant in gout.. The 2 pain meds are helping some, hopefully the pain doesn't get as severe as what I was dealing with last night.

Home Sweet Home!!!

Home sweet home!!

I always say I’ll never live in MI again, but I really really miss this beach. We had such a great time on our trip, the kids did especially well considering they were with each other nonstop for days. I’ll post in full detail later about our trip but wanted to share a few pictures here.

Me and Aunt Becky “spider” swinging! Left HORRIBLE bruises!!!

Ashley, Joey, Aleena, Hunter and Peyton

The Gorgeous Sunset

Peyton and Joey playing in the sand

Aleena with the sandcastle her and Ashley built

The pier and Lighthouse

I'll post more pictures later

On the road

	We are on our way to Michigan! We left our house 3 hrs ago at 3am and we have gone 195 miles out of 1000. The kids are fast asleep, hopefully for awhile. Im sending this from my cell phone so Im not sure how this will look. I will post more later.

Beach.... Here we come!!

I’m so excited to say that we are taking our first vacation in 3 yrs. We are leaving early in the AM

And heading to MI. My cousin is getting married on Saturday, and we’ll be watching the fireworks and parade up there.

We are leaving MI on Tuesday I believe, and then hopefully heading down to Kansas City, MO and watching a baseball game.

We’ll be home late Wednesday night. My sister Melanie is dog sitting for me, hoping that goes well.

Then when we get back it will be Lacie’s 1^st birthday!! ONE, already?? Seems impossible. And then after that we will be

Having Aleena’s 10^th birthday party… Wow, time is just flying by.

On another note… PEYTON HAS FRONT TEETH AGAIN!!!!!!! I’m so excited. I’ll be sure to post pictures later!!

You guys have a happy and safe 4^th of July.

Goofing around

This is a picture Joey took of Peyton goofing off upstairs last night. He was in his underwear, put on his shoes and was wearing Aleena’s hat. Aleena’s ducked down behind him determined she’s getting in the picture with him. Such a goofball.

Camping

A few weeks ago we went camping for the first time as a family. A few friends and there kids were with us on the same camp site. We had such a GREAT time. Cooked out on the grill, went to the beach, went out on the boat and did some tubing, got really sun burned (OK, that wasn't so much fun), and sat around a fire doing smores. And shared lots of great laughs and created some fun memories. Something I'm looking forward to doing again, when it cools down some. :-) Here are a few pictures from that weekend.

Me and Jeff on the tube
Aleena and Joey working on a sand castle


Jeff and Peyton on the boat

Aleena taking her first tube ride with Kristi

Me and Aleena taking our turn

And Joey just chilling on the boat

I have a video of Me and Aleena riding on the tube that I'll hopefully get posted soon. Were heading out of town next week to attend my cousins wedding in MI and enjoy 4th of July in my home town. I'm really excited about taking a vacation, first one in 3 yrs!! Then we'll be heading to Kansas City, MO to attend a baseball game and then heading home. Keep us in your prayers as we make this trip. ((HUGS))

Aleena's Dance Recital

I know it's been a long time since I've done an update. There aren't very many free moments at home anymore. Summer is finally here so hopefully that will free up some time. Aleena had a dance recital earlier this month. Here are some pictures of her in her costumes.

Look at the arms on this child???

Growing up WAY to fast; I'm a little biased, but she's gorgeous.

Aleena and her dance partner goofing off

She did a great job, had 4 routines total. I'm very proud of her. Thanks to all of you that came to help cheer her on!! We love you.

New Hair

Ok; so nothing to drastic. I got about 6 inches cut off and some highlights put in. When I go back I think I'll do something a little more drastic, baby steps. ;-)

New Hairstyles??

I'm going to go get my hair cut and highlighted on Friday afternoon. I've only had highlights once and they were VERY mild; and I'm looking for something a little different with my hair. I've started an album of haircuts that I like, want to know what you think. :-) I know most look similar to what I have, but I don't want to go too short; and I'm looking for something with more layers I think..? Leave comments and tell me what you think

How Ironic..

I was just reading through my blog, trying to figure out what I was doing this time last year. It's interesting how things were going back then. But yesterday was a day that I was sad and depressed over my grandmother. On April 22, 2007 I was with my grandmother, trying to remember all I could about her. You can go here http://mommyrogers.blogspot.com/2007/04/role-reversals.html to see what I put in my blog that day.

Love you and miss you Grandma.

Still adjusting...

Yesterday marked 2 months since my grandmother passed away. I'm still having a difficult time getting used to the idea of not seeing her again, in this lifetime. Some days it seems like a blur, like she's just a phone call, 30 minute drive away. And other days, the pain is just as raw as it was before. Aleena has had her moments of break down as well. We all love her, miss her very much. My mom is still struggling with it as well. I was cleaning out my inbox and found the email I sent out the night she passed away; and I sat here with tears flowing down, remembering the pain I felt that day. I remember sitting in the car with my mom that night telling her how upset I was that I wasn't strong for her, that she was being strong for me, and it was her mother. Well as everyone said, it happened that way for a reason. She was in shock; she really broke down at the funeral, and I had enough composure to comfort her. My mother and I don't have the mother daughter relationship I'd love to have with her, but I pray she knows how much I love her, and value her.

I LOVE this picture; my two toothless babies with Grandma..

Probably my favorite picture of her I have; this was before she got sick and lost her weight, and I LOVE this smile she has. Looks like she's staring right at me....
Aleena and Grandma..

New Cakes..

I've been busy updating my site, moving things around etc. I've added my most recent items to the page as well; you can click on new items to view them... http://www.southerngalsboutique.com/ I'd love it if you would post this in your blog for me! :-) Get me some more visitors. I've had over 300 this week alone! And I've gotten 3 more cake orders.. I'm so excited. This weekend I'm going to attempt to make some diaper wreaths and put on there as well.. I'll update more later.

Keep us in your prayers, my uncle Terry in MI isn't doing well right now and needs all of your prayers. I'll post more later.

Rest.. It's much needed right now!

Psalm 62:1-2 “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (NIV)

I'm tired... Physically more so then emotionally right now. Usually it's the other way around. A week after my MIL got out of rehab my FIL went in; he suffered from a TIA and spent 2 days in the hospital. I had to spend 2 nights with my MIL.

Our anniversary (8 yrs) was on March 25th, and Peytons birthday was on March 26th. We had his birthday party last weekend; that was a lot of fun! I'll post pictures later.

Jeff and I are going to see Bon Jovi and Daughtry on Monday!! I'm so excited. They're not great seats; but they'll work.. And my super duper fab. niece Che is coming to babysit for us. :-) It'll be the first time Jeff and I went out without kids in over a year.

Jeff started another part time job; today is his first day. So were back to a busy schedule. He's wanting to do it so we can be sure to have enough $$ for our vacations this summer. On that note; I've updated my website, I'd love it if you can pass it along. http://www.southerngalsboutique.com/ I'm getting a Tax ID this weekend and am hoping to get some stuff at wholesale to list on there as well. Please, if you can help me out at all I'd love it. Whether a flier, sending my link on, placing an order, maybe you know where I can solicit to try and sell them for me, get business cards etc..

My niece Che has been hired by the company to provide care to mom and dad; I'm so excited about that!! It helps us out a lot!!

And I think last but not least.. I found out my department is moving to another office. I'll be further North, but further west, so it doesn't cut anything off time wise. The routes I'll have to take aren't the funnest routes, so I'm hoping that I don't have to deal with traffic congestion day in and day out!!

((HUGS))

She's Home!!!

She's HOME!!! My Mother In Law is finally sitting comfortable in her recliner at home after over 4 months of being in a rehab facility after breaking her leg in November!! She was THRILLED to be going home. After spending hours trying to go over everything, gather her stuff, sign off on everything we walked around and she told everyone bye. We made a quick stop for lunch at Wendy's and we went HOME. Daddy was so sweet, he was waiting in the hallway waiting to watch her walk with the walker and told her she was doing a great job. We all had lunch and then I took Daddy grocery shopping then I came back and got busy working. I washed there bed sheets, about 5 loads of dirty clothes, scrubbed bathroom, vanities, kitchen, making stew with her and daddy, did dishes, dusted, vaccuumed, sorted and filled meds, organized cabinets in the bathroom etc, and made a ton of phone calls; my legs are throbbing and I'm ready for bed!

My kids were excited, Aleena was in tears last night overjoyed with her going home. She's going to go over there and spend the day with them tomorrow incase they need help. I hope my kids cherish this time, and all of the time they have ahead of them.. There grandmother had a great home coming and was very surprised with all we did for her...
Mine had a much different homecoming last month and I miss her dearly. And I always feel like I didn't do enough, or say enough.

So anyways, enjoy the pictures..

Tomorrow I hope to teach her how to use the phone I got them for Xmas! Daddy will be helping her tonight.

Grandma's Obituary

I've been going online to see my Grandma's obituary a lot; just to see her face, and her eyes. I'm afraid that site will be down soon so I wanted to copy and paste it here... the guestbook entries are below it as well that were posted.

Johnnie Bell Banaszak May 25, 1931 - February 21, 2008

Johnnie Bell Banaszak, age 76, of Princeton, Texas passed away February 21, 2008 in McKinney. She was born May 25, 1931 in Altoga, Texas to William Hayward Dunn and Maggie Louise (Pullen) Harris. On March 21, 1948 she married Ernest Henry Banaszak, Sr. in McKinney, Texas. She was a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in McKinney. Johnnie had a great love for music, dancing and was all the time singing to her family. She is survived by her thirteen children, Sandra Fronterhouse of Princeton, Texas, Ernest Henry Banaszak, Jr. and wife, Estelle of South Haven, Michigan, Terry Banaszak and wife, Judy of Grand Junction, Michigan, Susan Riddell and husband, Glenn of Arkansas, Sylvia Banaszak of Princeton, Texas, Keith Banaszak of Pullman, Michigan, Debra Banaszak of Princeton, Paul Banaszak of McKinney, Texas, Beverly Banaszak of McKinney, Texas, Mark Banaszak of Lewisville, Colorado, Becky Leadingham of South Haven, Michigan, Daniel Banaszak and wife, Pam of Bells, Texas and Denice Johnson and husband, Doug of Bells, Texas; thirty-five grandchildren; thirty-nine great-grandchildren and the arrival of two great-grandchildren; brothers, William F. Dunn of Clinton, Arkansas and Billy K. Dunn of Farmersville, Texas; sisters, Joyce Phillips of Farmersville, Texas and Linda Gamble of Bridgeport, Texas and aunt, Belle Dunn of Farmersville, Texas. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ernest Henry Banaszak, Sr.; brothers, Lynn Dunn and Thomas Harris. The family will receive friends during a visitation on Saturday evening, February 23, 2008, beginning at 6:00 p.m., at the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, Allen, Texas. A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, February 24, 2008 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1995 CR 546 McKinney, Texas.

Registry Book
Grandma, we all love you and will miss you deeply. Thank you for all of the ways you've showed me in my lifetime how much you love me and cared for me. Debbie and I were talking this morning and said we hoped you were playing your guitar again and doing the Charleston. Love you..
- Carrie Rogers

I am not sure what to say. My life will never be the same without you here. Im just sad that I wasn't able to cook the pork chops you were craving. I promise that I will keep your memories alive and remind Emma about all of the love you had for your family. You will be missed more than you know. Aunt Belle says it best, aint no one that can hold a candle to you. You better believe it. I LOVE YOU......XOXOXOXO
- Johann Belle Hill

Grandma was the sweetest person that i have ever met, definately couldn't ask for anything better from her, she always had people smiling and laughing, she could easily turn my frowns upside down, she was very kind hearted and would do anything for anybody! She was the one that i knew i could go to for anything! She is the closest human to being perfect that i can think of! I remember when she was in the hospital and i was telling her about the clothes that i had gotten and she was telling me to bring her some of the dresses and skirts so that she could have something that would fit her, so that way she would have clothes to go to the meeting, cause me and her wear the same size! Grandma will always be in my heart,and i know that someday i will see you again! i remember her soft hands, and her soft wavy grey hair! I remember getting her ready for the meetings, her wanting me to do her hair, make-up and nails! I miss her alot, and love her but i know that she is always with me and that she is not suffering anymore!
- Tiffany Ann Banaszak

Grandma just wanted to let you know that although I am not there with you that you and everyone is in my heart and I love you all very much.
- Shelly Renee Gullion ( Banaszak)

It has been a while since I have seen "MA", but she was always a very kind person. I have been around this family for about 21 years and I knew most of the family. My dearest sympathy to the family. We love ya'll!!
- Angela Ruth (Maples)

I miss her dearly and i cant wait till the day that i get to see her again! im sad that im not going to see her when i go to mckinney! Im sad that im not able to talk to her anymore! the only thing that keeps me going is knowing that she is in my heart and she will always be there, and knowing that she wasn't suffering when she passed (she wasnt in any pain, she didnt even know what was going on) and that she doesnt have to suffer with the pain from her cancer anymore and knowing that she has lived a wonderful life, she was surrounded be her loved once the day that she passed, and i think that means a lot to her! She fought her hardest until she couldnt fight anymore! There were numerous occations that doctors and everyone would say that they didnt think she would make it out of operations! Everytime she made it and she was doing better than before she ever went to surgery! She was definately one of a kind. She was the kind of person everyone knew they could talk to, she was strong, kind-hearted, caring, and a loving mother and grandmother who will be missed dearly! I remember going over there on some sunday's helping her get ready for the meetings, fixing her hair, painting her fingernails, and doing her make-up! Also her trying to teach all of us the Charleston, her beautiful smile, her soft loving hands!
- Tiffany Ann Banaszak

To all my Cousins for Aunt Johnnie Bell; At a time like this it is hard to find the right words for someone so special so to know we will all be together again someday is the best felling of all. May you all find comfort and peace in the memories you hold so dear to your heart and hope that smiles and laughter of so many joyous occasions will soon fill the air and your hearts.
- Connie Jean Lancaster-Gupton

Johnnie was always so kind and welcoming towards me and she always always asked about how my daughter Elizabeth's beautiful singing was coming along as they shared a passion for song. We will deeply miss your lovely Mother and Grandmother. She is in peace now. God Bless Her and all of Johnnie's beautiful family. Sandy
- Sandra Jean Detar

ma was more than a mother-in-law to me. she was family. she was my mom and my childrens grandmother. one of the most wonderful and caring people i have ever known. we will miss her dearly.
- pamela jo banaszak

I wish that I could tell everyone that time heals all wounds and it does to a point. Then something will happen and you want to call and just talk to her. You remember things you did together or the plans you might have made. Johnnie was one of a kind! She always made a point to come and visit me when I came to Texas. Those moments, I will never forget! I loved her just like a mom! To all of her family, losing a mom is hard! I know but she is always there and you can still talk to her! I talk to mom all the time and it gives me peace. I still miss her but I know she is better where she is now! There is no more pain and suffering that Johnnie is going through. Your mom is and always will be a wonderful person and will be remembered dearly by all!
- Martha Nelson

Finally, the day has come...

My MIL is going home tomorrow!!!!!!! And WOOOOHOOO How great it feels!!!!! I just spent about 5 hrs between her house and the rehab she's been in for FOUR months! She's thrilled!! I packed all of her stuff, got her RX list, and she used my phone to call everyone she could think of!!! I'm beyond thrilled. I took a vacation day for tomorrow so I can get her out, home and settled in. I have a ton of calls to make regarding all of her meds trying to figure it out the cost, what replaced what etc..... She's got a list of stores she wants to go to tomorrow, and has Stew for dinner on the menu! Daddy's got the meat out of the freezer and she's invited us and my mom over for dinner. She was in tears today with excitement..


Thanks so much for your prayers for her. ((HUGS))

Only in Texas...

In the past 48 hrs we've been at 80 degrees; in the past 24 hrs we've had Tornado Warnings, Flash Flood Warnings and now a snow advisory. There is currently about 1/2 inch of snow out there and it's still coming down. Some reports say we'll have 2-3". And all of you up north will laugh at me, but I hope it's that much, it means our metroplex will pretty much shut down. :-) Which means no work for me!!!



On Friday I took Peyton to the eye DR and was glad to hear that his vision has stayed the same. Although his Depth Perception is declining again. So we'll be starting a patch on his eye. On Saturday I noticed that he was having a hard time kicking the ball; which is new for him, last season he did great. I mentioned this to the teacher this AM and she wondered if this is why we are having some difficulty with his handwriting. So I called the DR and sure enough, it affects his hand eye coordination, can affect his writing, drawing etc. Over time it could mean more difficulties for him, riding a bike, walking, catching and throwing a ball, and even driving. But those are worst case scenarios. So he'll now start Occupational Therapy at school to help him with all of this. We are hoping to have him set up within a week or so for it. I pray we can turn this around and get him back up to par.



On a good note for him, his front teeth are almost here!!! You can see the indentations on his gum line, but they haven't broken through yet. I'm so excited... I'll be sure to send pictures through.



((HUGS)) to you all. Thank you to those of you that have continued to check on me and my family to see how were doing. Last Wednesday I had a hard time, believing that it had already been a week since I seen her, touched her, talked to her etc. We'll all be Ok over time, but we all miss her dearly and can't wait to see her again.

Grandma's Memorial

I'd like to thank everyone of you who have sent cards, emails, called, provided food, your time, flowers etc to my entire family over the past few days. Thanks to my In-Laws for showing up at the visitation and funeral to help offer support to me and the kids. It's been a difficult few days but to know that we had the love and support from our friends has really helped all of us through it. Below is the link for the pictures I took at the Visitation and the Service. We have a large family (100 of us) and always enjoy getting together. For the first time all 13 of my Grandma's kids were together!! And yes I got a picture of it. :-) Here is a link to my lovely Grandmothers Obituary online as well.
http://www.turrenti nejacksonmorrow. com/detail. php?id=3068 You'll see in the album below a picture Aleena drew for my grandma. The night I rushed up to the hospital because her blood pressure was dropping, Aleena had colored her a picture. The next day when I had to break the news to her she started crying that she had colored Grandma a picture, so at the visitation she put it in the casket with her. The lady at the funeral home was sweet enough to scan it and email it to me. Keep Aleena in your prayers. She's having a hard time dealing with this; she begged not to leave the funeral home and went back several times to touch and kiss my grandma. She did good during the funeral yesterday. It's going to take her some time.

For those of you fortunate enough to have your parents and grandparents around still; please spend as much time with them as you can. Having watched my mom, Aunts and Uncles through this time, it's been hard. I can't imagine what it would be like the day my mom is no longer with me. Spend as much time with them as you can; I think we all agree, the time is never long enough.. It IS truly a luxury..... One I wish I could have back...


http://www.kodakgal lery.com/ I.jsp?c=7n1mbgn. 21sv35dz&x=1&y=vn2i9a

Obituary

http://www.turrentinejacksonmorrow.com/detail.php?id=3068

I'm not the one that ended up writing this, I guess my mom and her sisters put this together while up there making arrangements. The counts for the grandchildren and great grandchildren are off just a little bit...

She's in a better place...

I've said for years that I've been fortunate enough to not have lost anyone close to me. I've always known that was a pain I didn't want to endure though. My Grandfather passed away in September; I loved my grandfather very much, but we weren't close. He spent most of my childhood an alcoholic and I don't have any fond memories of him from my younger years. It was in the past 5-6 yrs he really started to make a turn around. I was saddened by his death.

But today I've experienced what it's like to lose someone that I'm really close too. My grandmother passed away this morning at 1:41AM. Yesterday evening her Blood Pressure dropped, and kept dropping. her blood counds kept dropping, she had lost a lot of her blood prior to having her procedure to stop the bleeding.

I have many great memories of my childhood involving my grandmother. She was the true matriarch of my family; the rock, backbone, and glue of our family. My Grandmother has 13 kids, and close to 70 grandkids and great grandkids. And she is deeply loved by all of us, and will be deeply missed. This woman truly had a heart of gold; and a woman very close to God. I've never seen this lady talk bad about anyone, condemn, criticize, raise her voice etc. She was the sweetest, most calm, sweet person you could ever ask for. She was always full of great advice, wisdom and had more love then one could ever imagine for her entire family. I was able to spend some time with her before she passed; I was there for about 5 hours. I went into a tail spin when they said there was nothing more we could do for her. I started shaking horribly bad, felt like my legs were made out of bricks, turned white as a ghost, and couldn't stop crying. After spending some time lying on the floor of the waiting room my mom called and had Jeff come get me. At this point my Grandma had quit breathing and her heart had stopped 3 times; she had lost a lot of blood, kidneys were failing, heart failure, and she was sedated and had a ventilator breathing for her. It was time for us to let her go. And they were letting us spend time with her. I hugged her, and kissed her, held her hands for a long time, and rubbed my hands through her soft white hair that I've always loved. I told her over and over how much I love her, and how much my kids love her. Then I went into my tailspin. Jeff came to get me and I could barely walk in the house, and managed to get to the bathroom just in time to get really sick. I remember sitting on the couch crying and telling Jeff I was scared to go to bed. Scared I'd forget what her hair felt like, and what her hands felt like. I dug and dug for a picture of her I was determined to find and put on my nightstand, after tearing my closet apart I never found it. I finally crawled into bed, my entire body felt like dead weight that I couldn't move. This isn't the kind of pain I imagined I'd have. It was almost as hard to tell my kids this afternoon that Grandma Johnnie had lost her battle; and rejoicing in the arms of Jesus right now. Like I told Grandma yesterday; humans are generaly greedy, selfish people. We want our loved ones to be here with us forever, but not if they are in pain, we don't want to watch her suffer anymore.

I'm working on her obituary now and buring pictures to CD's to pass out to her kids while they are in town. They are all of the pictures from the Family Reunion we had in November, and pictures from our trip to MI in September for my Grandpa's funeral. My family is passed out but I'm finding it hard to go to sleep. I got about 3.5 hrs of sleep last night, and about 5 the night before. I took some nighttime pills a bit ago in hopes it would help me sleep. My family from MI has started arriving, and we'll have plenty more over the next few days.

Please keep us all in your prayers.

RIP Johnnie, we love you!!! And can't wait to see you again. ((HUGS))...

My Grandma

I just got home from the hospital. I received a call around 10:30 this morning that my grandma had been taken to the ER with a lot of blood loss from her rectum. They got her to the hospital and started running tests. She was bleeding really bad, to the point of thinking she felt like she was wetting her pants. We had a DR tell my Aunt that family should be called in and they only had a few options obviously. But the most important was finding where the bleed was coming from. I got a call around noon saying that they weren't able to do anything about it, to call family in and they'd be making her comfortable. I was out for lunch with my co-worker and friend Kristi when I received this call. Thankfully she was driving. I rushed home ( a blubbering idiot) to change and then headed up to the hospital. When I got there they had pulled her up for a colonoscopy. That test showed that she had a major vessel in her colon torn; they were going to do a CAT Scan to see where exactly it was coming from and then go in and try and seal it off with some gel. She had that procedure done and about an hour later she started to bleed really bad again. I at this point was able to go back and see her in ICU and she told me that she loved me. We were told at this time that she was being pulled back right away for surgery. She told me that she'd be OK no matter where she opened her eyes at, whether here on earth with us, or in heaven. We all took turns going back to see her. Aleena was up there with me when we got this news, so I let her go back and see her for a few minutes. She spent a lot of time crying in the lobby so I felt it would make her better to go back and see her. Around 8:30 they pulled her back for surgery, she was really weak due to bleeding nonstop since 9 this morning. She won't accept blood so it was just a wait and see. During the surgery they removed her Large Intestine and re-routed her small intestine so she wouldn't have to have a Colostomy bag. The surgery took about 2 hrs total. I didn't get to see her after surgery as it was going to be an hour or so recovery. 2 of my Aunts stayed behind to see her. Were still not out of the woods yet, but it's much better then where we were at during my lunch! I've never been so scared in my life. She's lost a lot of blood, with her diabetes she's at high risk of getting gangerine etc. So the thoughts and prayers are still needed... this has proven to me again you can't take things for granted. I've been so busy the past few months running around non stop, doing this and that and haven't put her at the top of my list; but that's going to change. I HAVE to make her a priority in my life right now as well.

A great thing for me to witness though was while up there at the hospital not knowing the prognosis of my grandma; my friend Crystal was up there as well. Crystals dad had a heart attack last week and went through a 6 bypass heart surgery and was in ICU for a few days, and they were told he was on the fence, 50/50 chance. And my friend was up there picking her daddy up to take him home... How great is that... Just goes to show how great the power of prayer is. These are definitely wake up calls for us all.

Thank you all so much... I'm off to get some sleep hopefully. I have a lot of family coming in to town starting tomorrow so it's going to be a long busy weekend for us.

((HUGS))
Carrie

Always.... Have a happy period

That's the slogan for Always Pads ....
Well they for sure weren't thinking of women like me when they came up with that slogan. I've had horrible times with my cycles for years. I'm seeing a DR now that is determined I'm too young to have surgery so he's trying every pill he can to get me "regular"... I'm on my 4th pill, well not officially, I start next week.
I had to make an emergency appointment with him on Monday. Monday started out like any other day. Shortly after getting to work I started to cramp really bad, and within an hour I felt like I was truley in labor. I like to think I have a high tolerance for pain. I've had 3 kids with no epidural, did just fine. But this pain had me sweating, nauseous, doubled over and having a hard time walking. After an hour of that I decided I needed to leave work and go see my DR. I forgot to add that on that date I had been on my cycle for about 3 wks. Prior to that I only had a 3 day break and was on it for several weeks. Now when I say on my period, that just simply means that I was either spotting or on a heavy cycle those days; so most days I could get away with a simple pantyliner. Well on Monday I was bleeding heavily. Anyway; I get there and I show him my calendar where I've been marking my cycle on there. Out of 112 days, I was either spotting or on my period for I think it was 72 days?? WHAT THE HECK.....
So, I'm starting a new pill soon and hoping that works. Then I go back and see him in April. If it's not working by then and he's still adiment I can't have surgery then I'll be seeing a new DR to have surgery done. I'd much rather be able to take a pill and stay regular then have to go through surgery and take time off of work... So anyway; I don't think a pad will make my periods happy...

Sick again..

I've been up since 2 this morning; sick, again. Yesterday I had a headache most of the day, and just felt really blah. I went to bed early last night because I was just so tired. I woke up at 2AM sweating and a really bad headache; and my throat is killing me.. I was running a fever of 101; it's since gone down since I took some tylenol. SO I'm home from work again; and hoping to get into a DR today sometime.

I'm off to get some sleep....

Whoooaaa..... Slow Down!!

The other night I was sitting on the couch with Aleena and we started talking about her getting braces on her teeth. I told her we’d likely be taking her in Feb. or March to start the process, that Joey’s are about paid off and it’s time to start working on hers. I was telling her we had it planned out perfectly; she’ll get hers, then when hers are paid off it’ll be time to start working on Peyton’s braces. Then by the time Peyton’s get paid off it’ll be time to start on college for Joey, when he’s almost done with college it’ll be her turn, then Peyton’s turn. She was asking me how much all of this would cost etc. Then I said, then that’ll be around the time you’ll maybe want to get married, so, just so you know you can’t get married until Peyton is out of college and we have time to save some more again. She was into the conversation until I got there; she quickly turned her head in my direction, eyes bugged out and said “Whoa mom, slow down.. I’m not ready to go that far yet!”…. To which I responded, neither am I!! But, that’s about the way it will work. Although with watching the stocks plummet the way they are, I fear I won’t be able to pay for college for all 3 kids like I’d hope to do. So it might be the good old fashion way; scholarships, student loans and them working a job through school to get it done... I’ve always said I didn’t want money to be the reason my kids don’t go to school, so it’ll happen one way or another if that’s the course they choose to take. Joey will be a Freshman in the fall, so we don’t have much longer to think about it happening… So scary, and surreal…

So, Aleena had the correct phrase in mind.. “Whooa Life!! SLOW DOWN!!!!”…….

Ringing in 2008!

Hello everyone!! I'm way behind on pictures and am trying desperatly to get caught up on editing and uploading them. I've been sick for over a week and am finally able to glue myself to the couch tonight; so I figured this was a good time to get caught up. :-)

Here are pictures from our New Years Eve. My mom, sister Johann and I made a mexican feast of tacos, tamales, beef enchiladas, spanish rice, queso and some salsa and chips.. Oh, and can't forget the Guacamole... My Aunt Debbie came by for dinner and a drink, then it was me, Jeff, the kids, my mom, Johann, Emma, Che, Chelynn and Joey's friend Trent.. We had a great time. Made smores out on the back patio in the fire pit, lit sparklers, played guitar hero, toasted with Champagne (and sparkling cider for the kids) at midnight.. We had a great time; thanks to those of you that came out! maybe next year we can have more people over. :-) we did it very last minute this year.. ((HUGS))

Joey Playing Guitar Hero

Peyton with his confetti poppers

My Great Niece Chelynn

Emma, Peyton and Chelynn roasting Marshmallows

Chelynn, Aleena and Emma posing just before midnight

Yes, I'm still here....

Ok, so I realize I haven’t updated in a long time. I’m sure the 5 constant readers of this blog are upset over that. I wonder who all really does come here to read this on a constant basis? Why don’t you leave me a msg saying you were here!!

Well first off, I’ve been sick off and on for over a month now, and I’m fed up with it. I think I’ve got the same thing Jeff’s daddy had, that just hung on forever it seemed. I have a cough (not just a mild cough, but to the point of turning red and gagging, keeping me up at night etc..), sinus drainage, headache etc, it lasts for a week or so, gone for a week and comes right back. One day I had a viral of some kind that made me the kind of sick we all hate to have.. my stomach hurt for 2 days and I spent an entire day on the couch just tired.. My kids have all had there run with the cough and stuff, as well as Jeff. But I seem to be the only one that it keeps coming back to attack. 2 people at my office are going through the same thing. I think it’s time to break out the lysol there!!!!

Jeff and I; were doing good. I’ve had a few melt downs, but over all doing good. I go back and forth from feeling like I need to make him feel my pain I’m feeling; to saying you know what.. I’m forgiving him and moving on, I need to get through this without making him feel like crap as well. I know he already hurts on the inside for doing it, so I don’t need to toss it in his face on a continual basis.. He knows the days I’m having a hard time, and tries to help me through it. I know we’ll get through it OK, so long as we both work at it, and pray for us…

Mom and Dad are doing good. Mom is still in Rehab, last week they said she might get out in a 2-3 wks. I haven’t been up there in a week because I’m scared to get her sick again. And noone else has said anything to me about it; so who knows… Maybe I’ll find out when she’s released? I spent many hours over the past few weeks researching assisted living for them, there apartment complex is requesting they move out at the end of there lease. We might be able to get that date extended some, but not sure how much. But after hours and hours of researching, asking questions etc.. I’m not sure how it’s going to work out.. And at this point I’m just the Daughter In Law, so I’ll leave the finer details up to there Daughter.. Just pray that it all works out….

My grandmother just spent some time in the hospital; they’re concerned because she’s lost a lot of weight and were trying to put her on a high calorie diet to get some weight back on her. At her last appointment they said that based on her bloodwork it seems her cancer might start getting more aggressive; not really sure what that means. That’s the problem with not going to appointments. I get my information from the 4-5th party in the conversation! SO keep her in your prayers, and us as a family; she’s a very sweet woman who is loved by all of us very much..

I’ll post some pictures of our Xmas soon on here for you guys to see. We had a great holiday season, busy but good. The kids loved there presents, we were able to have a decent xmas this year. And then for New Years we had some people over for dinner and drinks, and played guitar hero etc. I’l share those pictures as well…

((HUGS)) to you all; hope 2008 proves to be a blessed year for you, your family, job, finances and health!!!

A day in the life of...

me...
The other day when leaving work, a guy that works in my building was getting on the elevator with me to go to the parking garage. He said “Wow, you’re going home for the day, lucky you”. I said “Yeah, it’s been a long day, I’m ready to go home and do a bunch of nothing!”. He responded with “Wow that seems fun… or rather boring.” And he got off on his floor he needed… Boring? This must be a single guy with no kids.
As a busy mother of 3, with a husband, job, sports etc; I long for days to do NOTHING. I’m READY for a boring day. I would love nothing more then to come home to a spotless house, dinner in the crock-pot, husband and kids out running errands etc; just me, my couch and the remote. Doesn’t that sound great? I don’t even know what shows are on TV anymore, I can’t tell you the last time I sat down and watched a TV show from beginning to end, with no interruptions. So, I figured I’d share a “Day in the life of Carrie” list… This is from yesterday, not one of my busier days..

4:20 AM Alarm clock goes off- hit snooze and make the best of the next 7 minutes
4:27 AM Alarm clock goes off again… Turn it off and reset it for Jeff’s wake up time..
4:35 AM finally get out of bed after moaning for awhile
4:35-5 AM Get dressed, brush teeth, hide dark circles under eyes and brush hair
5:05 AM Kiss Jeff goodbye and say I love you
5:05-5:10 AM Check email real fast, grab a drink and some kleenex’s and head out the door for work
5:50 AM Arrive at work and clock in
5:50 AM – 11 AM Do my job shuffling papers around on my desk trying my hardest to stay awake. Trying to manage all day with no DR Pepper.
11-11:30 AM clock out for lunch go across the street and grab a baked potato. Come back and balance my checkbook and eat
11:30-2:20 PM finish working, talk on the phone to Jeff about him being sick, daddy being sick, Joey being sick and errands that need to be done.
2:25-3:55 PM Sit in traffic trying to get home; they shut the highway down from 5 lanes to 2 lanes to get ready for an HOV lane to open.
2:30 PM receive phone call from Jeff that Daddy is at the DR’s (again!) to check his bronchitis, he’s still got a lot of junk so it’s time to start some breathing treatments in hopes to get it all loosened up.
3:15 PM I call Jeff to say that I’m still stuck in traffic that he’ll need to pick the kids up from school; again.
3:55 PM stop at CVS to grab candy to go along with a gift for Aleena’s dance instructor and cash to pay back the other mom for the gift she purchased
4:05 PM get home to find that Jeff didn’t have time to go to Wal-Mart to purchase Barbie for the gift exchange during Aleena’s dance class – rush Aleena through her snack telling her to hurry up and get ready
4:15 PM leave the house and head to CVS again to get a gift for the gift exchange
4:17 PM realize that I forgot to grab our breathing machine to deliver to daddy to use for a few days; call Jeff and he grabs it and meets me at CVS so I don’t have to turn around and get it.
4:25 PM leave CVS after grabbing a journal, pen and some stickers for the gift exchange; not a Barbie but it’ll have to do.. Oh, and we also all grabbed a candy for a treat on the way to dance
4:27 PM I open my BIG Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and quickly inhale it; Peanut Butter and Chocolate together is greatness
4:40 – 5:30 PM Arrive at Aleena’s Dance Lesson; she goes in to her class and Peyton and I sit on a bench in the game room and read a book and work on homework; and I get gifts packaged for her dance instructors.
5:45 PM Arrive at Daddy’s house, I sort his meds, get the breathing machine set up for him, go through 4 rounds of teaching him how to set it up, try to instruct him on how to use his inhaler that he needs to do, get him water, give him his extra night time meds to take. And talk to him about his dizzy spells he’s been having. While there he almost fell; thankfully I was standing in front of him to help hold him up and get him back to the chair.
6:30 PM leave daddy’s to head to visit mom
6:30-6:45 talk to Bridget and Jeff about Daddy, trying to figure out what to do. He mentioned he thinks he had a stroke again over the past few days.
6:45 PM – 7:30 PM Visit with mom. Notice her legs are swollen, talk to the nurse about getting her on Lasix again, rub her leg and foot down with lotion, hang up her clean clothes I delivered to her, gather her dirty clothes. Read her card she got in the mail, talk about her visit with Mark, Xmas, the kids school activities etc.
7:35PM – I arrive back home to get Aleena and Peyton fed, put in a load of dirty clothes and straighten up the kitchen, putting away supplies that Jeff managed to get while I was at dance, before he left for his PT job.
8 PM – I pour drano down our bathroom sinks in hopes to work free the hair that’s collected in them over the past year or so.
8:15PM I get the kids to brush there teeth and get up to bed
8:30 PM they come down begging for a Popsicle, I give in as they usually have one every night and we weren’t home much.
8::45 PM have the kids go brush there teeth again and get back into bed
8:50 – 9:30 PM I sit down to try and finish up the last bit of xmas cards I still need to get addressed.
9:30 – 10 PM I talk to Bridget to update her on my visit with mom and let her know how she’s doing, discuss xmas etc
10:15 PM Jeff arrives home from his part time job; he’s exhausted and sick. While he was at the DR with daddy they gave him an antibiotic shot to help get him over his crud he has as well.
10:20 PM Peyton quickly runs down the stairs to give his daddy a hug; he’s only seen him for 30 minutes today and he missed him… We let him sleep in our room, in hopes he’ll be asleep by 10:30.
10:30 PM I realize I haven’t had dinner yet so I get up to grab a sandwich and cuddle on the couch with Jeff for a bit.
10:50 I finally drag my butt to bed, first to brush my teeth and then climb into bed.
11:05 PM I set the alarm clock, cover Peyton up and I climb into bed for the night. And I’m happy I made it the entire day on just water! 4:30 AM will come way too soon!

All settled in....

Well mom got moved to her new location this afternoon. We were all nervous about how she was going to handle the news, but she took it really well. I met her at the hospital and packed up her belongings and then followed the ambulance to her new location. Hopefully she'll only be there a few weeks. Right now she needs a lot of assistance getting up and down, she's still running a fever, not eating much. But we are hoping the diet changes. At the old place she got the same thing over and over; this new place has what appears to be a pretty good menu to choose from. She was excited when she seen this place has a beauty parlor, so hopefully she'll be getting her hair cut tomorrow.

We'd really appreciate any and all prayers you'll offer up for us. Pray that she gets her strength back, and gets to go home.

For those of you in the family, if you'd like her contact info just let me know... I don't want to post it on here...

Mom - Still in Hospital

Jeff’s mom was due to go home on Saturday but that was pushed back until today. Now today we might be transferring her to another facility. She is unable to get up out of a chair or bed without assistance, and needs someone near her while walking. If she gets sent home she won’t have any assistance doing anything as Daddy can’t help out at all in that aspect; and we can only e there in the evenings. But the location she’s in right now can’t keep her much longer as Medicare will only cover so much time there. So we are hoping to send her to a step down rehab facility; which is literally ½ mile from our house! This will be exciting as we can easily run there every night and check on her; do her laundry, bring her dinner etc if she wants it. She’s not going to be real happy about it; but she doesn’t feel she’s ready to go home yet either. Today is 4 wks since her surgery date; she’s tired and wants to go home. She’s not eating well; she had to have more blood over the weekend as her blood count had dropped… So please keep her in your prayers that she gets back to where she used to be. And that she gets home. Daddy misses her very much..

Aleena's 1st Recital

Last Saturday Aleena had her 1st Dance Recital; and she did a great job. She was SOO excited to be able to wear so much make up. It's scary to see her so dolled up...

Here she is all dolled up...

Striking a pose

Performing some of her "Progressionals". Basically just showcasing what she's learned so far this year.

Afterwards we we went to visit mom, who is still in the hospital. She's been sick with a viral that's left her with a fever, and a nasty cough. I think she's finally kicking it though. They said yesterday that they were going to release her on Saturday; but today we learned that might be getting pushed back. She apparently almost fell today while walking; and said it hurt. So please keep her in your prayers, it's going to be a long road for her. She'll need help getting dressed and right now she still needs assistance using the restroom. We'll be busy getting her room ready for her soon. We'll have to rearrange her bed; she'll have her cast on her leg, and have to use a walker or wheelchair for quite sometime.

Reunion...

We had the family reunion yesterday, and it turned out great. My goal was to get all 13 of my grandmas kids there, we were missing 3 in all. And we were missing about 30 grand kids and great grandkids... We had over 75 people there and we all enjoyed ourselves... Today I'm tired, and haven't moved much from the couch or my bed... Here are a few pictures from our day...

My grandma and Belle; her step mom. Belle is who Aleena is named after and I love both of these women. Sadly Belle is suffering from Ahlzeimers and for the first time yesterday didn't know me. She knew me when she seen me, but didn't know my name. Aleena apparently went up to Grandma to hug her and Belle asked who she was, Grandma said she was my daughter. Belle said "Well who's Carrie".. then Grandma called me over and told me, and I got down in front of Belle and said Mammy do you not know who I am? She said of course I do darling; so I asked her my name and she didn't know it.. So anywho, I teared up, and felt really sad about it.. Thankfully she knew me though. that's a day I'm not looking forward too...
All of Grandma's great grandkids in attendance, there were some unhappy kids wanting there mommies in this crew....
Grandma and all of the grandkids in town...
Grandma and 10 of her kids that were in town.. Back L-R Terry, Keith, Denice, Beverly, Susan, Sandra, Sylvia (my mom) Front L-R Daniel, Debbie, Grandma and Paul
And my moms family with Grandma.. Back L-R Johann, Emma, Joey, Jeff, Me, Melanie, Michael Middle L-R Aleena, Grandma holding Lacie, Sylvia. Sitting are Austin and Peyton...

Here is a link where you can view more pictures if interested..
http://www.kodakgal lery.com/ I.jsp?c=7n1mbgn. 1x9je9wv&x=1&y=-npn8am

Short Visit!!

Not complaining though.. Gma is home!!!!!

9-1-1 Again..

This time for my grandma. I just got home from her house, where I watched her get loaded up in the ambulance. She's running a fever, diarrhea, dehydrated, high sugar levels and low blood pressure (was 80/55).... I'll update more.. having our family reunion on Friday, I pray she's out in time for that....

The past year...

It's so hard to believe that a year ago this week Jeff lost his job. I was sitting down and thinking today about everything that I've been through this year and it makes my head hurt. And it brings a sense of inner piece to know that I've made it, and were OK...

On November 13th Jeff lost his job. Our world was flipped upside down really quick.. A trip to Disney was quickly cancelled, our 2nd cancelled trip there in just a few years. The one before was cancelled after the transmission went out in our van. Christmas was not looking so great last year; and I quickly learned who my truest and greatest friends were.

Peyton started to get sick nonstop. We dealt with busted ear drums, ear infections, strep, virals, 5ths disease, etc. He was having unexpected nose bleeds, aching bones (to the extent that he cried when he needed to walk up stairs etc), really tired etc. So right away the DR ordered blood work to rule out many things. Unfortunately his blood work came back very abnormal, and he was put on some meds and it was redone. Most of the numbers came back in normal range, except his WBC. He started to feel better and things got back to normal so we didn't do anymore blood work. But that might change; his lymph nodes are now really enlarged, so next week we'll be getting him in if he's not doing better. Right now he's on antibiotics for strep.

With Jeff losing his job we got rid of my truck so we'd only have 1 car payment, then his truck's transmission went out, so that left us with 1 car. And that car is his dad's car. His dad was told last year that he is unable to drive anymore, so he let us use his car. We made it on 1 car for MONTHS. And that's not easy when I work 40 miles from home, and have 3 kids to get to school. Jeff's unemployment took a nose dive and stopped, and they are now saying we owe them money, we didn't get a tax return, I actually owe them money. What was on our side though is that we don't have any credit card debt. Overall it's been OK, could have been so much worse.

Shortly after my grandmother was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. My grandmother is the sweetest person ever, and I adore her and love her more then words could ever explain. Shortly after that my grandfather was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Sadly he lost his battle in September. Jeff's dad had a stroke this year, and was wheelchair bound for quite some time, he's now getting around with a walker at home, and using a power chair outside of his apartment. Jeff's dad is my daddy, the only father figure I have in my life, and I think of him often. Jeff's mom is now in the hospital, and won't be going home for another week or so at least. Our niece had her car accident last year and she's endured several surgeries; she'll be having another one next week. Last Saturday my sister in law Christy was in a motorcycle accident and is still in the hospital; she fractured two vertebrae's, broke both arms, is in a Halo now for her neck etc... And I sit here with a broken toe now.

The hardest trial has been my relationship with Jeff. Twice I've researched apartments, divorce attorneys, figured out how much child support I'd get and working over a budget. I realized I didn't need to make any rash decisions until he had a decent job, we were over our financial stress and we were both thinking with clear minds. Then the unthinkable came, my trust with him was destroyed, and it still hurts today. I find it hard on many days to focus on the love I have for him instead of the hurt I've had to endure. We'll get back to where we were soon, I just pray every day for only kind words to leave my mouth, that my heart be filled with nothing but pure, happy thoughts, and that we get back to where we were.

All of this went on with busy schedules. Us working, soccer for 2 kids, dance, church, school functions, band, me trying to start my diaper cake business, taking care of Jeff's parents, spending time with my grandma etc.

Several good things came out of the past year... We all got baptised as a family, my kids have all learned the value of a dollar, I've gotten closer to God, I learned who my true friends were. They helped make Christmas have meaning for my kids last year, they quickly helped take care of kids when needed, they got together for laughs, they called to see what they could do, they hugged me and cried with me, they showed a true interest in me, my family and what I was going through. Thank you to those of you. I can't explain how much I love and appreciate each one of you for reaching out and being there for me, and my family... I know through all of this my relationship will be stronger with Jeff, and the kids will be better people. They've learned life isn't all about having fun and living care free, there are priorities and things more important then we all believe are out there.

I try each day to go through it with grace, and a smile on my face. But trust me, my kids have seen me cry, shout, angry etc more then they deserved to see out of me this year. But hey, I'm only normal. And they've got to see that parents are human as well...

Here's hoping we have a great 2008!!!

Surgery Finally...

Mom just got out of surgery and she's doing well. Originally it was going to be yesterday morning at 8, then they postponed it to give her more rest; so it was going to be at 2. Well then they cancelled that because her kidneys weren't functioning properly. Finally this afternoon just before 5 they started surgery. She had to have some blood first as her blood count was really low, 8.6 and normal is 12-14. She'll likely have more blood after her surgery as well. But they put 2 screws in her ankle and put a walking boot on her. She'll go to rehab in the next day or two, where she'll stay for about 3 weeks. Hopefully she'll be able to leave to come enjoy Thanksgiving dinner?? Otherwise I'm sure we'll postpone it!!

2:48 AM

Let me just say that when your phone rings that early in the AM, it's not a good sign... My Father In Law called me to say he had just called 9-1-1 for my Mother in Law. My MIL has been sick since Wednesday night; spending most of her time in bed, having diarrhea, she was throwing up some on Wednesday etc. She was drinking her water, having some broth etc, just didn't want to get out of bed. Bridget (my SIL) left her house last night after midnight. Mom got up around 2:30 this AM to use the restroom and fell. Daddy called 9-1-1 and then called me. Said she was disoriented, and had fallen. She's in the hospital now, Jeff just came home for a few minutes. She's got a broken leg. :-( She's 77 yrs old, she doesn't need to be dealing with a broken leg.. AND a broken Ankle.. We are awaiting news from an orthopedic surgeon, but she may or may not have surgery.. We'll just have to see. She has been admitted; she's dehydrated. Something about her kidney levels being off as well, so we are waiting to find out more on that as well. So please please please keep this sweet woman in your prayers... For those that know her, she is a complete busy body and I fear what this is going to do to her...