Lil'Bro Gets Baptized!

Can I get an AMEN?! Woo hoo!

Both of my boys have an amazing faith. It blows my mind the kinds of questions they ask and topics they discuss. At their ages (7 & 10), I believed. But I'm not sure I understood the whole relationship with God thing. The church I grew up in never taught us about that. Or if they did, I didn't get it.

My boys get it. So when Lil'Bro said he wanted to get baptized, absolutely! Woo hoo!

This is especially sweet because it will be the last month our head pastors are with us. Both of my boys got baptized by pastors Michelle & Kenny. I know the who doesn't matter. But I'm glad for it anyway.

If you look back to BigBro's baptism in Sept 2009, you'll see a bit of difference in my two boys. BigBro took some coaxing (he had just learned how to go fully under water). Lil'Bro jumped right in!

The Ex, my parents, my BigSis and her TallGuy were all in attendance. I didn't get to snap a picture with my parents. DOH!

Enjoy the pix!

Lil'Bro, TM, HM & RM all contemplate the trough as pastor Kenny talks.

Kenny asked who wanted to go first. After a small pause, Lil'Bro climbed right in!

Kenny asking Lil'Bro if he accepts Jesus as his savior. And you know he DOES!

Lil'Bro wanted to do it himself. After 2 attempts, he successfully fully dunked.

A fully baptized Lil'Bro!

Pastors Michelle & Kenny. Love these guys!

Lil'Bro with a proud uncle TallGuy and aunt BigSis!

I Have A Job! ...I think...

I've been a bit busy. Thanksgiving was awesome. I hosted my parents, BigSis and her TallGuy. Not having to work is the key to a stress-free Thanksgiving. Or at least it is for me.

The week before Thanksgiving week, I had an interview for a job. Like all of my other interviews, it went well. And like all of the other times, I didn't get my hopes up. I have spent the last few weeks, admitting to God that I'm terrified and full of doubt and really am wondering just what it is He's doing with this whole situation. I fluctuate between absolute faith and thinking he must be teaching me some lesson where I'll have to walk through fire. But I found that finally telling God that I'm really scared and having trouble trusting him helped. Kind of got that guilty feeling off my chest.

So for the week of Thanksgiving, I didn't worry about it.

When this past Monday rolled around, however, I had trouble motivating. I couldn't face having to apply for jobs I didn't want. I couldn't face reading through job listings going, "Oh, I've already applied for that one." So I did what any strong person would do. I climbed back in bed and hid under the covers. If I'm asleep, I can't worry or feel guilty. I ignored my constantly vibrating cell phone. And when my house phone rang, I almost didn't get up to answer it. Almost.

I answered the phone to hear the nice man who interviewed me last week. He proceeded to tell me how well I had done in the interview and subsequent test. And would I like the job? Hmmm...would I like a job...let me think about that one. I nearly screamed! Yes! I'll take it! He told me a little bit about it and could I fax him this or that. I honestly don't remember what he said because I was busy silently jumping up and down.

I called my parents. I called BigSis. I posted it on Facebook. Everyone I knew was informed within the hour.

But I may have jumped the gun.

You see, when they offer you the job, it would seem that you have the job. Not so. When they offer you the job, you have said you would like the job. Then they have to see if upper management will approve it. This is where one previous job offer tanked on me a few weeks ago. When I realized this, my heart kind of sank again. But not too horribly. God's got it. This one really does seem like it's a done deal. But until I have it in stone, I'm not counting any chickens.

Yesterday, I went in to meet with my potential future 2nd-level manager. It went well, I think. So hopefully the approval process has moved up to the two people above him. They wanted me to start this coming Monday. I'm not sure they can get the approvals and paper work done in time. But I'm operating on the assumption that, come Monday, I will be sitting in traffic, honing my road rage skills.

So...I have a job! Kinda...

Happy To ME!

A friend on Facebook sent me birthday sentiments, courtesy of her two year old. It said, "Happy to YOOOOU! Happy to YOOOOU!" I think that nails it.

My mom's surprise that she put up last night (see my post from yesterday) was so cool! Here's a picture. Do I love my mom or WHAT?!


I dropped the boys off at school. The migraine was gone. The tummy was still tentative. I went home and plopped on the couch. I treated myself to a PayPerView movie: X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Hugh Jackman contractually obligated to take his shirt off every three minutes? Why not!

I spent tons of time on Facebook reading a never ending cornucopia of birthday greetings. All of which were so cool. It's a quick little thing people can do. Facebook tells you the next three days' worth of birthdays for all of your connections. You just jump over and put a quick little blurb. It may seem superficial. But man, I loved it!

I got phone calls from dad, BigBroS, BigBroE, and BigSis. I got a text from my wonderful cousin.

I went to the boys' school to stuff weekly folders for Lil'Bro's class. Which means I got to see a bunch of his little pals that I adore. So cool.

I came home, went to CVS to get some double chocolate milanos. That's as big as I can go right now. My stomach is still funky today. So no big dinners. Mom came to pick up the boys. She's taking them shopping for me. Should be interesting to see what they think I need. How much money says Pokemon Boy brings home some diet pills? HA! And mom will be bringing home some dinner since I'm still a bit on the whiny sick side.

YAY for awesome birthdays filled with love and sweet words from friends and family. And yay again for my mom.

WOO HOO!! I'm FOTY-FO!!! Dig it, man.

I Can't Even Tell You How Much My Mom Rocks!

Seriously: My mom rocks. Yes. We all know I feel this way. But man, when your mom is just the bomb diggity, how in the world can you ever hope to repay her?

My dad has been sick lately. It's nasty and unfun in the details so I won't post them to the general masses here. He has been sick, on meds and VERY uncomfortable for weeks now. When dad (or mom) isn't well, I keep my little family away. Not because I'm afraid I'll catch anything. But to give them their recovery space. When I'm sick, the last thing I want is to have to keep up with someone else's energetic kids!

Then I got sick over a week ago. And mine is contagious. So now I'm staying away from them for THEIR sakes. Which is a bummer for everyone because they love my boys, my boys love them and I love being around them.

Today was my 2nd venture to the doctor. I went from bad sinus congestion (ambiguous virus - one of many going around) to nasty bronchitis in a matter of 3 days. As I came home from the doc, my sinuses were giving me quite a pounding in the head. I picked up my boys and went to CVS to get my scrip filled. The headache was getting worse. But you know, it's sinus congestion and it gets painful sometimes.

By the time I returned from CVS, the headache had gone into "Hey, maybe this is a migraine" mode. I popped the migraine meds but apparently missed my window. I had barely gotten the boys' mac & cheese prepared and I was running upstairs to shove my head in the toilet. After washing up (and noticing I was completely devoid of color), I headed back down to slop the kids. As soon as I saw and smelled the food, however, it was round two. I was barely able to toss the mac & cheese in two bowls and yell to Pokemon Boy to get it on the table for him and his brother. After round two of the puke fest (complete with feeling like my head would explode with each turn of the stomach), I made it to my bed, called mom and whimpered my plea.

Mom showed up in about 10 minutes. The boys were surprised but she explained that their mom had a headache that makes her throw up and she was there to get them into bed.

I laid in bed in complete darkness with a pillow over my head asking God to protect my mom from any contagion in the house. And then I thought I heard crying. I made it into Pokemon Boy's room to find him crying. He had forgotten that tomorrow was my birthday. Therefore, he had not made/bought anything for me in time. And he was crushed. Because (as he informed us), I always get such great presents for HIM on his birthday. HE wanted to do something just as awesome for ME.

Oh man. My mom and I both talked him down for quite a while. There is just no way to explain to a 9 yr old that birthday presents or birthdays in general are less important to you when you're 44.

Pokemon Boy went to bed still sniffing and snuffling. Mom shooed me back to bed and went downstairs to "clean up a bit". For any of you who know her or her family, you realize that my kitchen is completely spotless now. I think she would have put the toys away in the living room, too, had I not come down to tell her to get back home.

She sent me off to bed and told me she was going to leave me something special to wake up to in the morning. I think she did this more for Pokemon Boy than for me. But I listened to her puttering around down here for about 30 minutes or more. I came down to post this. But I left the kitchen dark. I didn't really look because I want to leave the surprise she intended.

But man. My mom knows this house might have a virus or who knows what. And my dad is still not 100%. But when her 44 yr old baby called, she didn't even bat an eye. She high tailed it over here.

I love my parents so much. There is no way on earth I'll ever be able to repay all that she has done for me over my life time. But I can keep thanking God for them. And I can keep asking him to bless them beyond anything they can imagine. I guess all I can do is pay it forward to my boys. And my friends.

Thank you, mom. And thanks, dad, for giving up your nurse for the evening.

----

OH - and as an addendum! TJ texted me tonight. She will be released to go home tomorrow. That's all I know. But how cool a birthday present is THAT?!

Baptism, Texas Style!

Today, Pokemon Boy was baptized. Man, it was SO cool on so many levels. The Ex flew in this weekend just for this baptism. My parents came. Big Sis and Tall Guy came. My neighbors that live behind us came. My little sis from Oklahoma would have been here with her whole family but they had a car break down.

Our little church had 8 people get baptized. We're small. So we don't have a baptismal in the church. So when we're ready to baptize, we pull out the horse trough. Awwww yah! That's how we roll: this is baptism Texas style!

Today was pretty amazing. The worship music was really good. The message today was really cool and very poignant. And then the baptism directly afterward. Even The Ex (a non-believer) said there was something...different. I can't remember his exact words but he said you could feel an electricity in the air. I was a giddy mom so I was feeling pretty awesome. I'm just totally stoked that God touched The Ex's heart today.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of Pokemon Boy getting baptized. [Some from The Ex. And I was wielding a point & shoot and my Blackberry Curve. So these are a mix of formats.]

Pokemon Boy was a bit dubious.

PB had to be talked into the water a bit.

Finally got him kneeling!

Pastors Kenny & Michelle get Pokemon Boy prepared.

Almost ready...

PB was nervous about being submerged.

PB is baptized!!

WOO HOO!!!!

Pastor Kenny applauds while pastor Michelle gives him his towel.

My beautiful baptized boy!

Collect All 66! Trade With Your Friends!

One of the interesting things about being in a blended family and being adopted & knowing your birth families is that you often have to qualify which parent you are talking about. This is why:

Father Types:

• Sam Dad is Sam Estes, my adoptive father. He's the first father I ever knew. He is, in my head and heart, my "real" dad. He died in 1977 just before I turned 12. To my kids, he is a collection of photos and they refer to him as Grandpa Sam or Grandpa Estes.
  
• Dad is Hal Jones, my step dad. But I just call him "dad". He became my step-father back in 1978. I think I subjected him to many years of just "Hal" before I finally felt he earned the title of "dad". And earn it, he did! To my kids, he is Grandpa Jones.
  
• Dean, my birth-father. My birth-mom found him for me back in 1986. He went through a period of signing cards as "Uncle Daddy" but it always felt weird to me. "Dad" is a very special term to me. I don't just toss it about. And as much as I loved Dean, he was not "dad". But he was very special to me and I've missed him a lot since his death in 2002. To my kids, he was GranDean.
  
• Bruce, my birth-step-dad. Ha! Bruce is married to my birth-mom. We jokingly came up with his title a long time ago. But normally I just call him Bruce. But to my kids, he is Grandpa Bruce.
  

Mother Types:

• Mom is Rose Jones, my adoptive mom. She's been in my life as long as I have formed memories. She and I are very closely bonded due to all the early hospitalizations as an infant and our constant communication. To my kids, she's Grandma Jones.
• April, my birth-mom. Although I don't have a solid memory of it, she held me for an hour (I think) before she had to relinquish me. I grew up obsessed with finding my "real mom". She found me in 1985, 2 days after my 20th birthday. She is "April" to me but is much more special than just some random woman. We have a very special bond and I'm pretty much her darker-colored clone. To my kids, she's Grandma April (sometimes "Grape").
  

As a kid, I grew up with 5 grandparents as Sam had a step-dad. That step-dad was my main paternal "Grandpa". Sam's real dad was much more peripheral to us.

Once I gained a step-family, I gained 3 more grandparents. And the cool thing about them was, they treated me like their grand kid. I remark on that because I've seen step relatives in the world that can't bring themselves to make that kind of commitment to anyone outside their family.

When my birth-mom found me, both of her parents were alive. So I gained two more grandparents and from then on, I was one of their grand kids. Again, I find that pretty special. They were never uncomfortable with me. They never introduced me as "our recently found bastard grand daughter" or anything. Hahahaha. Oh sorry. Perhaps only I find that funny.

So Pokemon Boy and Lil'Bro have scads of grandparents, one living great grandparent (although when Pokemon Boy was born, he had 3 living great grandparents), innumerable aunts & uncles and a virtual cornucopia of cousins. They've also met more than a hand full of their 2nd cousins on both my and their dad's side of the family. It's nutty. And awesome. And it never ceases to amaze me: the amount of love and support that God has put into our lives.

I don't take it for granted. Well, not often, I hope. Knowing how blended families and adoption reunions can go, I see my huge extended family as the miracle it is.

Pretty cool. Thank you, God.

This Is What Life Is All About

Man, I just had the most awesome Sunday. So simple that it reminds me this is what Sundays are about. Keeping the sabbath is setting aside the day for God. Enjoy everything he has provided for me. Appreciate it. Honor him by soaking up his goodness. And today just fit the bill.

I woke up totally late because I stayed up totally late. Oh, and I had set the alarm for 7:30am (which would have put me completely on time) but then forgot to turn the alarm ON. DOH. So yah, I woke up pissy. And as my children dawdled, thinking they had plenty of time like usual, I got pissier. Oh yes, you say. We can see how this is totally keeping the sabbath.

I pack the car with the awesome food for church, cram the kids in the car and take off for church. I'm late so I don't do anything frivolous like, oh, say...feed my kids. This will come to play later.

I arrive at church in one of Those Moods. The kind that my friend C.Beth recognizes immediately by the set of my spine. The kind that I think I'm so good at hiding. As I unload the food, I'm completely in "Martha Mode" (if you don't know, read Luke 10:38-42). The afore mentioned awesome C.Beth comes to the rescue because - you see - I have hidden my Mood oh so well. She offers to set up the food service and I relent, thankfully. She mentions that she may have seen some sliver of a hint of my Mood. But her gentle understanding smile and complete lack of judgment completely disarms me. I love that woman.

Having that taken care of, I walk up onto the riser to take my place for worship practice. I'm putting in my ear monitors when Lil'Bro comes and asks if I brought any food. Yes, quite a bit, actually. But you can't touch it until 10:15. But he means food, as in, hey, you forgot to FEED us, woman. So I ask him to wait. Drooping face. Departs in full Bobby-Brady-slump mode. Then Pokemon Boy comes up 3 seconds later asking, "Um...did you take us to Burger King today?" [because usually when pressed for time, I whip through the BK drive thru for a healthy Croissan'wich® or the like]. "No, hon. We didn't have time. You'll have plenty of food here soon enough." More Bobby-Brady-slumping.

I take my place with the worship team, ready to sing. As I wait for last minute adjustments, I actually prayed this prayer, "God, please help me to stop having such a big hair across my ass." Now, questionable prayer language aside, God rocked the answer. He removed said hair from across said dark place. I had fun practicing for worship. I didn't keep my eyes on the food service setup because I knew it was being taken care of. I was able to totally relax and focus on the music. And the words.

The rest of church rocked, too. Our head pastors were away on vacation (the nerve of them!). So our youth group and youth leaders got up to talk about their recent trip to Doin' The Stuff. They showed slides and everyone that went (and was present) talked about how it affected them. One of our lay pastors then spoke about what it personally meant to him. It was a really cool, inspiring presentation. And Pokemon Boy told me he wants to go to Doin' The Stuff when he's old enough. Sweet!

After church, we hung out, socialized, cleaned up food service, washed bowls and platters. I love that part. Well, not the dish washing part, necessarily. But hanging with my church friends. I love watching the kids running around wreaking havoc together. I love seeing people stand around, talking, laughing. It rocks.

We headed home. We picked up the house a bit and made sandwiches for lunch. Then we hooked up with Lil'Bro's "best buddy" S.McV and his dad R.McV. We all went to the community pool and went swimming. We were met there by another friend of Lil'Bro and S.McV, A.A and his parents. So it was a big swimming play date with four rowdy boys. Tons of fun!

After two hours of swimming, we dried off and drove a few hundred feet to my parents' house. My BigSis was there with her awesome dog, Sid. My parents just returned the night before from a family funeral in New Mexico. Very sudden. Very tragic. Very sad. BigSis brought a bunch of pizzas and we all chowed down and heard all about the memorial and family gathering. We hung for a couple of hours and then headed home for some TV and then bed.

I mean, awesome church day (where God totally rocks the attitude adjustment up front), swimming with really awesome friends and then dinner with really awesome family? That pretty much sums up my life's blessings in a nut shell. Right there. Simple, no?

Thank you, God. Thanks for the awesome church, the awesome friends and the awesome family. And thanks for the extras like a gorgeous pool, a safe community and plethora of food.

God rocks, my friends. Totally rocks.

My Anniversary...

Today is my birthday. To put it in terms that align more with my mental age more than my chronological age, I celebrated it as follows:

The 23rd anniversary of my 20th birthday or
The 13th anniversary of my 30th birthday or
The 4th anniversary of my 39th birthday.

That last one is how my friend's father used to label his birthdays. It was always in relation to his 39th birthday.

For the last I-don't-know-how-many years, I have never worked on my birthday. It's always a planned vacation day for me. When my children were born, I incorporated this rule for their birthdays, too. They were both born near holidays so that usually helps to not use up too many of my vacation days. But mine is never on a holiday. So I take a day. It's silly but very refreshing.

Today, I would have loved to have slept in. But I woke up at 6:20am, got the kids ready, and drove them to their school and day care. I had every intention to return to bed when I got home. But I didn't really want to waste a whole day sleeping. Oddly.

So at 7:30am, I got a bowl of raisin bran, sat down on the couch, fired up the ol' DVR and watched the 3 episodes of one of my favorite shows I've missed for the last 3 weeks. Let me tell you, watching 3 weeks in a row, fast forwarding through commercials? That's just fun! Sure it's mindless drivel but it's FUN!

After watching that much TV in pretty much one position for that long, I started getting a you've-been-sitting-in-the-same-position-too-long headache. So I hopped in the car and went to Walmart and Target. This is something you moms will get. When you don't have the kids and don't have to work (when does THAT happen at the same time?!), just walking through a store at your own pace is amazing. I can stop and look at anything I want. For as LONG as I want. No one is going, "Mooooom (*big sigh*) how long do we have to look at these CANDLES?!" or "Why do we always have to look at GIRL clothes?" or "When can we go to the toy section?" Granted, I didn't buy anything for me. Well unless gum counts. But I was able to buy some Christmas presents and hide them away. But the whole concept of being able to stop and stare at whatever I wanted? Yah, I was soaking that up.

With money being tight, I haven't spoiled me in a long time. So I went to Starbucks. I didn't get too stupid because money doesn't magically untighten on your birthday. So in stead of the huge java chip frappacino I would have liked to get, I just got a ginormous iced coffee. Very cheap and very yummy.

After getting all wired on good coffee, I dropped in on my parents. My mom is recovering from an incredibly tenacious bronchial infection of some sort. The effort of all that coughing (which I almost spelled "coffing") has exhausted her. She's on the tail end but still having those coughing fits that hit you at the worst times. So I sat and talked with her and dad for a while. Which of course, probably made her cough more. I'm thoughtful like that.

I left my parents to head over to the elementary school for a teacher conference. I wasn't sure what to expect. This teacher doesn't seem to give a lot of direct feedback to the kids so I had no idea which direction this thing might go. Fortunately, it rocked. Nothing better than sitting there having a stranger confirm what you already think about your kid. Well, I suppose that last statement is only true if you LIKE what you already think about your kid. So Pokemon Boy got rave reviews. He's incredibly polite. He's been working very hard on responding the first time she says something. (I resisted the urge to say, "Really? Could you come to my house and get him to do it THERE?") He seems to have made it over that adjusting-to-third-grade hump that can be very hard. He thinks outside the box. He's creative. She likes having him in her class. I was like, Did I pay you to say all of this and it just slipped my mind?

Oh, and best of all - she hasn't seen any tics. She has had a student in the past with severe Tourette's. So she knows what it can be. I was so glad to hear that. Also, Pokemon Boy has commented on a few occasions that not a lot of kids play with him because they think he's kind of strange. He actually used the word "weird" once. I was worried about that and asked her. She said socially, he's completely normal. She sees him working with other kids and getting along with them. He's very good at encouraging his classmates and is very kind. I asked her about anything that might look like he's on the outside. Nothing. HUGE relief.

When I got home, I took Pokemon Boy to Walmart to pick out a birthday present for Lil' Bro. His birthday is right before Christmas so I thought we'd grab something now, while Lil' Bro was still in school. My closet is currently stocked well with Bakugan and Transformers. I live in a boy house for sure.

After picking up Lil' Bro, my parents picked us up and took us to one of my favorite TexMex restaurants. I had enchiladas (which I'm pretty sure man COULD live on alone...or at least I could) and crispy tacos. While I was in the bathroom with Lil' Bro, my mom talked to our waitress. So after the meal, here comes the wait staff with a giant sombrero. They sang some birthday song that included a comment about me getting old (Pokemon Boy made sure to point that out after the song), plopped the sombrero on my head and gave me a big bowl of fried ice cream and whipped cream. YUM!!!

The ice cream rocked. Putting a sombrero on my head that has graced who knows HOW many other heads with who knows WHAT other skin or hair ailments - yah, that was NOT my favorite part. But it does make for a silly picture. I'll scan that and post it another time. And you will all be amused at how even a giant sombrero looks tiny on my ginormous melon head.

OH! I forgot! After picking up Lil' Bro at day care, I got home to find a vase of flowers on my front porch. BigSis and her TallHubby had them delivered to me. How much do THEY rock? Last week, my church sent me my first birthday card. My aunt Millie sent my 2nd card. Pokemon Boy MADE my 3rd card.

So the anniversary of my birthday rocked.

Thank you God for giving me a fun, stress-free day.

Raise Your Hand If My Mom & Dad Rock

All of your hands should be raised. So get 'em UP there, people!

Let me just tell you how much my parents rock.

While the boys and I were in New England for two weeks, mom & dad kept an eye on the house. They took in the mail and let my bug guy in to spray. When I got home, my house was picked up and vacuumed. That nutty mom.

After getting home, I did my finances and realized I didn't have enough money to pay for the boys to go to day care for the rest of August. I was trying to decide whether to ask for a loan from my parents or to just keep the boys home. The former means debt - yah, I'm all set there, thanks. The latter means the boys would spend a mind-numbing 2 weeks in front of the TV and distracting me from work. Yick. My mom must have sensed I probably spent much more than I intended in Boston. Because that same night she said that she and dad had been thinking. Maybe they could just take the boys for the rest of the month. Normally, I would poo-poo such an idea. But I needed the help. So I took them up on it.

So for the past two weeks, mom has come over to pick up the boys, fed them breakfast & lunch and entertained them all day. I'd pick them up and they'd have a fort built in the living room with chairs and sheets. Or they'd be watching TV (which means dad couldn't watch the news). Or they'd be getting computer time on my parents' computer. That's a lot for my mom to take on. And also, when I'm 80, I doubt it will be real easy for me to have my space invaded every day for 2 weeks. Dad was awesome about it but I think it was a stretch for him.

On top of all of this, my mom would call up on days where she could tell I was getting pounded at work. She'd say, "How about you guys all eat dinner here tonight?" I tell you, when you need the help and someone sincerely offers it? It's just the most amazing feeling. So, very frequently, I have had full on home-cooked meals. I mean, meat, veggies, a full salad, some kind of bread. That's like Thanksgiving every DAY to me, folks!

The topper came today. On Sunday, I noticed things in my fridge were rather cool. Not cold. Cool. I thought perhaps I had left the fridge door cracked open while I went to church. But I had a feeling it was more. This morning, after cranking the dial up to coldest all night, it was still rather cool. And the freezer was cold. Not frozen. ARGH.

Mom came to get the boys and I was already pounding away at work. I told her quickly about my lack of cold food. She offered to call GE for me. Honestly, if she hadn't called them, I don't know when I would have had time to. And I'd have a fridge/freezer full of tepid bad food.

Mom got the model & serial numbers, called GE, told them the issues and made an appointment for tomorrow morning. Then, she called to offer a cooler full of ice and freezer packs. While she drove over, I called my next-door neighbor. She's a wonderful person and a good friend. I was hoping to just get a smidge of fridge/freezer space for my most vital perishables. Well, she has a full fridge/freezer in her garage that she uses to hold bottled water for her walks & workouts! It was EMPTY. And since I care for her dogs while she's gone, I have the code to her garage. She said, bring over your food.

So who do you think brought all the food over? Guess. Yup. MOM. She got my laundry basket and little red wagon and brought it all over there, load by load. And she brought me the ice chest so I could keep some milk and juice here for the morning.

Who's got the best parents in the whole freaking world?! That's RIGHT! BOO yah!

Oh and on a side note? My neighbor and I have decided we've stumbled onto the perfect weight-loss plan. It's called, "Move Your Food Over to Your Neighbor's House". Because after only an hour of the food being over there, it kept me from having ice cream I didn't need and from putting heavy cream in my coffee. We were joking that we might just switch out all our food. I mean A) you'd want to look healthy so you wouldn't want to store Oreos and Lindt dark chocolate at your neighbor's house. You'd be all [ding dong], "Oh yah, I was just stopping by for, like, four carrots." B) Even if you did have no shame and kept all the junk food, you wouldn't want to bug them every 15 minutes when you get bored or frustrated at work. So you'd only get the necessities like twice a day. It would keep that evil snacking thing way down. Yah, we're pretty sure we're on to something here.

Sand Table Therapy and Some Old Pix

Sand Table Therapy
Today Pokemon Boy went to his play therapist's. He's been asking to go since future ex moved back to Boston. Today we got him there. ML has a new toy in the arsenal. A sand table. Toward the end of his session, I got to play in the sand table.

I was called in and was told that Pokemon Boy had played out a scene where an ambulance was rushing to help someone. But that ambulance needed an ambulance. The conversation had turned to me being Pokemon Boy's ambulance. And then wondering who might be MY ambulance. Pokemon Boy told ML he figured he and his little brother were my ambulance. So I was brought in to play out that scenario. I was sitting there looking at ML like...um...where do you want me to go with this???? But I figured he just wanted me to show what I do for survival. So Pokemon Boy handed me my figurine (a svelte little blond doll in a white bride's dress....uh huh...). So Pokemon Boy's figure fell and hurt his foot. My tiny waisted alter ego rushed over to see if it was ok and dole out kisses. Then it was my turn. Pokemon Boy asked me what makes me sad. Loaded question. But rather than answer in a way that would require more in depth counseling for my kid (hahaha), I said, "Well, sometimes work is hard." So dainty bride doll moped around saying how hard work is. Dainty bride doll stopped and prayed asking God to give her motivation and help in focusing on work (which dainty bride doll actually did yesterday). Then ML handed dainty bride doll a dainty wee bible. So dainty bride doll informed the room that, once the kids are in bed, she likes to read the bible.

It was fun. I want a sand table. But I hate vacuuming. But I love sand. Quandary.

What I gleaned from our exercise was that Pokemon Boy needs to understand that saving mommy is not on his shoulders. And also to show that you can take any problem to God. But I think it was more to show him it's not up to him to save his dainty doll-like mother. Or maybe it really taught him that his mom needs to lose weight and get a wedding dress. I'm not sure what he got from it. But he seemed to enjoy it.

I was reading an old post where I mentioned that ML wanted to train me to do some at home therapy with Pokemon Boy. That hasn't happened. I just have not had the gumption yet. Sounds weak. But I'd rather admit my current limits and not fail at something this important. But I work with ML on Pokemon Boy's therapy. Later this week, I will talk to ML about how/if we should start Lil' Bro in any kind of counseling. He begs to see ML. But he really just wants to play with toys. I think Pokemon Boy can discuss the play with ML enough to be productive. I have visions of Lil' Bro running around with all the toy swords and guns totally ignoring any conversation from ML. But we'll see what he suggests.

Some Old Pix
These are two pix I just pulled out of an old envelope. These are my parents. The ones who adopted me. I think both of these pictures were from when they were in high school. So maybe 1950? Not sure. I'll have to ask mom. But I love these pictures. Dad was all ears. Mom's picture says, "To a very wonderful boy" on it. I love it.

Sam Dad


Rose Mom

Slow Down There, Yenta!

One of the perils of being in the midst of a divorce and having lots of people who love you is, inevitably, someone (or multiple someones) will start eyeing potential matches for you. This is only natural. I am sure I have been as guilty as most.

But lets look at a few facts here folks.

A) I am not legally divorced. Rather important, this.
B) I am in no way desiring another relationship in this century. I'm sure this will change. I am assured by all concerned (and most not concerned) that this will change. Great. But for now? I don't want to have to think that hard.

That's pretty much all I have at the moment. But if you look at both of those, yah, they're rather strong arguments for everyone backing OFF this whole Yenta-matchmaking thing. Or for you Jane Austen lovers, stop being Emma - or whoever the big matchmaker is of her writings.

Now all of that is said with great affection and quite a lot of humor. Oh, I'm serious enough about the sentiments. But I do laugh when I say it. And here are the two most recent stories that explain why:

Story #1: My Dad -
Mom told me this story while we were driving back home from some fast food joint. I was in the way-back of their family van.

Mom & dad needed a water softener dude to come check their water softener. He did his thing and they all got to talking. He was about my age, according to my mom. So they're chatting and suddenly dad says something to the effect of, "Well, we have a daughter that's going through a divorce and we're looking for a husband for her." My mom said her head snapped to and she was like, "WHAH???!" But rather than suddenly remembering a roast in the oven and running in fear, the guy got all serious and looked rather thoughtful for a moment. After which he said, "Well, I do have this one friend. He's 52," to which my mother quickly replied, "That's too old!" Ha! Good ol' mom. The guy assured her that he's a "young 52" and works out at the gym a lot. Yah, that's what I want. Some guy who likes going to the gym. Because I'm sure he'll totally be into a 42 yr old house-frau that works from home and gets about 30 minutes a year of good aerobic exercise. I'd have better luck with the Michelin Tire Man. And I could share his clothes.

Anyway, mom needed to get priorities straight. She told him that her daughter's number one criteria for a man is that he is a very Godly man. The guy said, "Well, he's gone to church with us a few times but I don't think you'd call him 'Godly'."

I told dad that if he gets ideas like that again to just give the potential guy the business card of my church. If he's serious, he can start attending my church.

Good gravy!

Story #2: Well Intentioned Small Group Friend -
Last Tuesday, I was relating the above story to my small group. We were all having the appropriate roar of laughter because everyone there knows my dad. And if you know him and can picture him saying all of that, it's just that much more of a hoot! So we're all laughing and one of my small group friends (and co-worship band member) says, "Well, I've actually had someone in mind for you for a while. But I figure you need more time." I nearly fell over laughing. I told him to give me at least a decade.

Honestly!

So apparently, everyone but me is looking around for potential partners for me. Good grief. I'm not even done shedding the first monkey from my back. You really want to saddle me with another?

It's all very sweet and funny to me. I'm sure my desire for a life of being single will start to fade eventually. But seriously folks, let me get the legalities of the first debacle behind me before I start planning another.

Wouldn't it be a hoot, though? I mean if that's how God finds my next man? One of these wacky friends or family members doing one of these crazy things? It wouldn't surprise me in the least. And it sure would be fitting.

But for now, I'm enjoying working on just me and God.

So back off, Yenta.

My Parents: Rockin' The 30th Wedding Anniversary

I'm a bit late posting this. I blame society. Society made me what I am! (*lame Repo Man reference for any of you born that long ago.)

On Tuesday, my parents rocked out their 30th wedding anniversary in true style. By taking my two spring-break house-bound kids for the afternoon and then totally forgetting it was their anniversary until I called to discuss their anniversary dinner. Which we didn't do that night because mom had already popped pizzas in the oven and started salads.

Now, being the good daughter that I am, I told mom that this was unacceptable and she needed to celebrate her anniversary. Which apparently didn't hold any weight with her. She kept my boys for the evening and sent me on my way to my church small group meeting. I was told I needed it. Hmmm. Mom is usually right. Unfortunately, it took me the better part of my 42 years to really own up to this fact. I did go get them a gorgeous vase full of flowers before I left for small group. But still, it felt rather lame.

Let me tell you a bit about why 30 years of marriage is a miracle for my parents. For those family members that know my 5 siblings and me, you already understand the miracle. For those of you that have this very mistaken notion that I'm some sort of wonderful, kind-hearted, unselfish Christian girl...I am that on my good days. I am very far from that on my not so good days.

In 1978, my parents got married. We were like some kind of Brady Bunch on acid. I wish I could dig up a picture. Wait. I have to try. My giant blocks of wood for shoes ALONE are worth the effort. One second. I'll be right back.

Here's the guys. From closest to farthest we have Peter, Greg, Bobby and Mike. (*Names have been changed to amuse the blogger.)


Here's the goylz. From closest to farthest we have Cindy, Jan, Marsha and Carol. (*Again, names have been changed because it amuses me to think of myself as clever.)


Dudes, you seriously can't see the blocks of wood I have riveted to my feet. Ok, actually the white straps of leather were ACTUALLY riveted to the blocks of wood. Notice the dainty footwear of the times sported by my mom and sisters. I, however, have the feet of Fred Flintstone or Barny Rubble. They're very short and very wide. They don't generally make dainty footwear for female hobbits. No. They fashion "shoes" from straps of leather, rivets and blocks of wood.

Enough of the shoes. Check the hair we all sported. I was rockin' the Sabrina Duncan/Kate Jackson cut. Granted, it was probably more like Toni Tennille from the Captain and Tennille. But since I was convinced at the time that Kate Jackson was my birth mother (by the sheer fact that I had her hair cut), I always made sure I played the smart Angel with my friends.

Wow, could I digress any more?

Those pictures rock, do they not?

Look, I'll get back on point. In 1978, nobody knew about blended families. People really thought it would work like the Brady Bunch. Maybe if you marry when your kids are all between the ages of zero and 3, sure. Maybe if the other spouses are deceased...maybe. That didn't seem to help our family. But when you try to blend a family of 6 kids of the ages 12, 14, 14, 16, 19 and 19? Those are not exactly prime ages for flexibility and adapting to change. They are, however, prime ages for large volcanic explosions and years of events that could fill many books. Thankfully, none of my siblings or I are wanting to recount those events in any public forum.

The two oldest moved out as soon as they could. The remaining four made life as unbearable for each other and our parents as 4 teenagers possibly could. How our family has retained any semblance of "family" or friendship is truly a testimony to God and his handiwork.

My parents weren't perfect. There weren't a plethora of books on how to make a blended family of teenagers work. They didn't have a clue about the major life issues that would hit many of their kids. And us kids were in the same boat but on the kid end of the spectrum. We were adolescents. Pretty much the most narcissistic age on the planet. We had needs and the rest of the world be damned. Oh it was just a recipe for disaster.

To their credit, my parents prayed hard and enlisted their friends and family to do the same. I can't speak for the rest of my siblings. But I made my dad's life miserable for a good 6 to 8 years. I have no doubt that man wanted to walk on more than one occasion. But he stayed. They toughed it out. They toughed out a parent life that no parent should have to endure. And it didn't stop once we all reached our 20s and realized what idiots we were. No, we just found more grown up idiocies to indulge in.

In this world where people bail on marriages in any number of ways for any number of tiny ripples in their perception of perfection, my parents are freaking rocks. My siblings and I might have problems with some of their methods. But being a parent now and knowing that I will literally do anything to keep my kids safe? I can't really blame them. But they never bailed on the marriage. They probably would have had every right in the eyes of society. That fickle society that tells you at every turn, if it's hard, toss it. Get a new one! That blended family - everyone knew it would fail. We can't blame them for tossing in the towel. No way. My parents took the sacrament of marriage seriously. They took the charge of parenting these 6 miscreants seriously. God gave them that charge. And they haven't given up on any one of us yet. Or our kids.

I'm just barely hinting at the surface of a ginormous iceberg. I will never write about all of the crap our family went through. I'm sure mom shared some with her sisters. I'm not sure who dad talked to. And I'm sure all 6 of us kids have shared our very biased views with any number of friends. But none of those confidantes lived it. Being the youngest of the six, I stayed in that house the longest. My Big Sis and I stayed long enough for my "step-dad" to become "dad".

And it's these same parents that weathered a familial storm with 6 unwilling kids who have run to bail each of us six kids out. Over and over again. Year after year. The most recent time being their move here to Texas to rescue me after my marriage failed.

The next time I let a man into my life, he better have the resolve of my parents. He better be ready to live up to that standard. Because most of the married couples breaking up because it got "hard"? They don't KNOW from hard.

My parents freakin' ROCK, yo.

Allie's Home Made Meme

Here's a meme that Allie made up. Just 10 random things I think are the most.

1. Most Vocal-Cord-Shredding Song:
Let It Rise by Big Daddy Weave. I’m not saying that this is some screaming metal version of the song. I’m saying that this song just totally inspires me. I get so totally pumped listening to this song. I really can’t listen to it unless I’m alone in my house or car where I can crank the volume and belt it at the top of my lungs. One time, I kept hitting repeat on my way to small group. By the time I got to my pastor’s house, I could barely speak. Seriously, this song is probably my favorite worship song in the world right now.

2. Most Decadent Pie:
Chocolate Chess Pie. Or I like to call it, “Heart Attack In A Pie”. It’s butter, eggs, sugar & chocolate in a pie shell. Need I say more?

3. The Most Adorable Boys Ever (that came out of me):
Now that I avoided angering all the moms of adorable boys out there, I think you know who I’m listing here. Yup, Pokemon Boy and Lil' Bro. They still amaze me on a daily basis. No, probably on an hourly basis. Pretty much any time I'm not yelling at them, I'm staring at them in wonder. Yup. Them's my boys.

4. Most Fantabulous Parents:
Mine. If you recall from some 2007 posts, this is what last year looked like for them:
April-May – mom left dad, flew out here, cared for my kids, cooked, cleaned and held me together for 7 weeks. Dad decides they need to move out here to help me and my boys.
June – dad (who is almost 80 at the time) packs up his car and drives ALONE all the way from Florida to Virginia to get their house ready to put on the market.
July – mom finally heads to VA to help dad sell the house. They clean, purge & pack.
August – still purging and packing. Oh and house hunting out here through my realtor-friend.
September – they drive out here with the moving truck, their mini van bulging with stuff. They move into my development.
October – unpacking and setting up the new house. They take me and the boys out for dinner constantly.
November – they are my main backup for child care. They are my constant source of support. They take the boys as often as possible.
December – dad is in the hospital 3 times: twice for his heart and once with pneumonia.
Yah. My parents ROCK.

5. Most Amazingly Funny and Gorgeous Neighbors:
My Chick Nite Girls. If I didn’t think they’d shoot me, I’d post pictures of all of them. Back when I didn’t want to put my future ex through a wall, we used to joke that he hit the gold mine of neighborhoods. All of the ladies in my ‘hood are gorgeous. I love that most are brunette (and the ones that aren’t get the blond from a bottle, thank you very much). These ladies have bailed me out in my times of crisis. They have taken my children on a moment’s notice. They help my mom out when I travel. They all offered to help my parents move in or to help my parents at any time. We dish and laugh. But we also really really support each other. I’m not kidding when I say it is a very unique neighborhood.

6. Most Likely To Make Me Pass Whatever I’m Eating/Drinking Through My Nose:
This is really a tie. And not just a two way tie. The Princess of Pawtucket and Lisa McC regularly make me cry from laughter. Trish & Sarakastic’s blogs usually have me in stitches. And Jane on the phone – I’m usually dying!

7. Most Beloved City In Which I Don’t Currently Reside:
Boston. Hands down. Then London. Then San Francisco. Now, granted, I haven’t traveled the world – or even the U.S. – much. So that top three could very easily change once someone wants to step forward and fund my life of leisure and world travel. Anyone? Anyone?

8. Most Desired Travel Destination:
(International) New Zealand. And when I typed that, I pronounced it “New Zilland” in my mind. Allie has posted enough pictures to make me totally want to go here. Plus, I am hoping I can run into this guy while there.
(U.S.) Well, I keep bugging Jane about going to Las Vegas. And I do want to go there. But Jennie has me totally in love with Colorado. Those gorgeous mountainous pictures have convinced me. I need to take a 3 month vacation there.

9. Most Terrifying Concept:
Big haired, football-loving pageant-moms dressing me in formal evening wear with high heels and full makeup while forcing me to listen to their political views. Yup. That’s pretty much my idea of hell. [For any of you really nice pageant moms, that's just a joke.]

10. Most Time Consuming Guilty Habit:
This. Blogging and reading all of your blogs. I know some people think it’s for freaks. And we’re obviously not disproving that theory. However, I love this community of Awesome Blogger Chicks we’ve built here. I love reading your thoughts on life. I love watching the amazing love unfold on some of our sites. I am constantly amazed at the beauty and strength I witness in all of you. I love the cathartic nature of my typed purging. And I am bolstered by your comments and support. And where would I be without the lessons and pearls of wisdom from bloggers like Beck, Stacy, Trish, Sarakastic, and Allie? Not to mention the vocabulary expansion I’ve been forced into with all you pretentious writers tossing around your $7 words. Dang people. Lighten up. I come here to shut the thinker off. *I kid*

Ok. That's all I could think of. Rather lame. But I liked Allie’s home-made meme. Thanks for creating it!!

The Eagle Has Landed...I Repeat: The Eagle Has Landed!

That's what I said when I called my sister in NY to tell her that dad was home. She didn't think it was funny either. You want good humor - check the dairy aisle.

Anyhoooooo...dad was released from l'hopital today (that's French for "place where everyone is wikkid sweet to you even while they poke & prod you, the food is good and they have comfy beds"). His white blood cell count was good and his chest sounded clear. Mom wasn't there, apparently, when the doctor declared the emancipation proclamation. I think she (and a few other family members) is a wee bit concerned that he still has some periodic coughing. But having talked to my sister-in-law-slash-nurse and knowing the insurance business, they kept him as long as they could. They dosed him up with one last bag o' antibiotics via IV and released him with a 7-day prescription for oral antibiotics. So yes, we would love your prayers! Thank you so much for offering.

I will update you more when there is more to update about. For now, I will sign off as this particular posting is rather fraught with too much wise-guy-ness.

And now, let's go see how much spell check hates all my made up words.

I've Got Some Good News and Some Bad News...

First the bad (but not too bad)...

I sent an email yesterday to a lot of you. But for those of you not on my email list, dad is back in the hospital. He went in early yesterday (Sunday). They feel it's pneumonia. He just has this incredible cough that wracks his whole body and leaves him intensely weak. Big Sis, Tall Guy and I visited him last night. He wasn't able to talk much as talking triggered the bad coughing. He found a position sitting up in a chair, leaning forward that seemed to alleviate the coughing mostly. But certainly not the most comfy position for someone exhausted from no sleep due to coughing.

Mom says he's better today - but to me, "better" is a relative term. I don't feel like he's out of the woods yet but he was able to talk to me on the phone with minimal coughing this morning. He sounded like he felt better, though. So the docs have told us to expect him to stay longer this time around.

I have to tell you, my pastor told me that he's starting to take dad's hospitalizations personally. These last two have happened on either Sunday morning or Saturday night. Our church definitely misses my parents when they don't show up! I sure do thank God for the way my church has adopted my parents as their own.


And now the good (or the cute)...

Today was Lil' Bro's first day of any kind of formal preschool. They just built a brand new day care and preschool center in our development. It's one of those real awesome ones that actually has a curriculum for the kids. They will play, obviously. But they also learn sign language, Spanish, math, and reading, among other things. The place just ROCKS. I love it. They provide a hot lunch for the kids every day. Even breakfast if you get there early enough. They'll take the kids from 6:30am to 6:30pm. Amazing. A cool bonus is that Lil' Bro's previous day care person (my neighbor around the corner) is a teacher there now! So he'll know someone there already.

Future ex drove up this morning to be there for the first day of school. So we all hopped in the car and drove him the maybe 1/3 mile down to the school. We dropped him off and he looked a wee bit tentative. He's not used to environments like that. Many of the other kids obviously were. But there were no tears or anything like that. We left to do some paperwork in the lobby. They have this huge flat screen TV there with all of the classroom monitors on there. Every room has a camera. So we got to watch Lil' Bro putter around. We could tell he was fine so we left. As we walked by the window to his room, we saw him standing there with a big police helmet on, smiling. So I think he's doing fine.

Here are some cute pictures from this morning:

Lil' Bro is ready to go!

(Note the puppy shirt - he loves puppies)

Pokemon Boy and Lil' Bro

Dad Is Home and Happy New Year

Dad just got home a while ago. The blood cultures are not back yet so we still don't know what is causing the fevers. But he was doing well enough to allow him to go home with some antibiotics. He sure is happy to see the new year in from his own comfy chair! I just dropped off two burgers from their favorite spot. So hopefully, they will have a nice mellow ringing in.

I am home with my two gorgeous boys. I would prefer this quiet night in with my boys to any kind of party. I spoke to Jane earlier today and she has similar plans with her daughter. I hope that, however you choose to celebrate the arrival of this new year, it is exactly what you want and it's filled with laughter and fun.

Here is to an amazing 2008. Can't wait to see what it brings. Bring it on, God! I'm ready!!!!

My Dad and a Meme

MY DAD:
I got home from the ER a little while ago. It's not as bad as it sounds. In this case, the ER was the only doc available. Dad has a cold. The last two days, he's spiked high fevers and had really bad chills. He said he's never had chills like this in his life. They exhaust him.

Tonight, he had horrible chills and was up above 103 F. The on call nurse said protocol for his age is for him to be seen within 4 hrs. So mom called me to tell me they'd be taking him to the ER near me. I was in my PJs just poking around on MySpace and about to do my blog walk. So I put on jeans, went to Starbucks, got coffee for mom and me and headed to the ER. I beat them there. So I got the paperwork started and waited. Mom drove dad up to the ER door. I got him in the wheel chair and in the ER while she parked. The nurses were saying stuff like, "Well, you liked it here so much you decided to come back!"

I stayed with mom & dad until about 11pm. I wasn't doing much good just sitting there making bad jokes. He wasn't feeling great and my jokes weren't helping any. When I left, they had pulled blood & urine, taken his blood sugar, done an EKG & chest xray. So they were trying to determine the cause of the high fevers. I imagine they kept him over night. I called my oldest brother to let him know. We'll alert the rest of the family if we need to. But I think for now, he's ok. Poor guy just wants to sleep in his own bed.

I'll update as I know more. Your prayers are always welcome.

AND NOW THE MEME:
This was a general tag from Angela. And it looks cute so I'll take it. It is a year end re-cap. In this meme, the tagee is to post the first line, of the first post for each month of the year.

January
So my cousin Kendra just poked me last night (via family email) and reminded me that I haven't posted anything here in a while.

February
I've been tagged by my favorite new author Trish.

March
The Boy is six.

April
This is a few months old.

May
Well, it's been 2 weeks since the whole thing officially blew up in my face.

June
Ok - this one cracks me up.

July
You know, I don't even know what to think of THIS little development.

August
I've been annoyed how life has derailed my original intent of this blog.

September
Two words: Intestinal. Virus.

Rocktober
I just got home from my business trip to NJ and Boston.

November
I'm trying to catch up with every one's blogs.

December
Dudes & dudettes, I proudly announce that I am the mother of an almost-4-yr old that has been out of diapers and/or pull-ups for a whole WEEK now.

I tag anyone who wants to do this.

I Don't Know Nothin' 'Bout Birthin' No Babies!

...which is a good thing since it was my half-sister doin' the birthin'. I just sit one state down and take all the credit when my niece is born.

So wooooo HOO!!! My "little" sister (10 yrs younger than me and probably just as tall as me) just had her 3rd little girl. She was born very easily (as easily as anyone can be born, I presume), about 4 hours after they broke my sister's waters. The labor was easy - again, as easy as labor can be. The father reported that the baby came flying out. I thought he was exaggerating until my sister confirmed the flight.

So I'm an aunt. Again. I just had to use a calculator to figure it but I believe this is niece and/or nephew number 18 of a collectible series. Collect them all! Trade with your friends! There's a 19th - the son of Anger Boy - the half brother that refuses to claim me as a sister. His loss. But in my real world of being a really forgetful aunt? I have 18 now.

I'm told she has lots of dark hair (like me). She has a great set of lungs (like me). She's wikkid cute (again...like ME). And she cries like a big ol' baby. Which she is. So that's forgivable. And also like me.

I can't wait to get up there to see her. She's in Oklahoma. You know, "up north".

Anyway, just wanted to share that good bit of news with you guys.

Dad continues to do well. I'm trying to stay away for a while to give him a break from a house full of chaotic family. He needs rest. Something I rarely provide when showing up with my two little tornadic boys.

Thanks for all of the wonderful emails and comments. Y'all rock!

Dad is Home...Again

Since I didn't post since Thursday, that is good news. I never made it over to see dad on Friday. Since he was stable, I just worked all day to make up for the days I took off early to see him.

Saturday, the docs felt he was ok enough to head home. Big Sis, her Impossibly Tall Hubby and I went to the hospital to help mom get dad and all of his stuff home. We got dad home and ready to nap. Big Sis and Tall Guy stayed with dad while mom & I ran to get his prescription (and a quick few Christmas gifts for my boys).

When we got home, dad had gotten about an hour nap. We all hung out for a while until dad decided he wanted to go out for dinner! So we went to our favorite fast burger joint, Whataburger. TOO funny!

Today, mom & dad stayed home from church. I fielded questions and well wishes from everyone at church. My parents sure have worked their way into the hearts of everyone there! Mom said she and dad got some well needed rest. Dad is having trouble with a wound healing. The pressure bandage they had to put on the incision where they started the catheter - that wasn't healing well as his skin is so thin. It really tore up when they removed it. So today, they had to let it air out a while as he napped.

So dad is home. And we are so glad. My boys want to get over there to see their grandpa. They had visited on Saturday for a short bit before he went home. They had great fun pushing the buttons on dad's hospital bed. And, lest you think I have unruly monsters for kids, my DAD showed them how to work it! The Boy was fascinated with the heart monitor. He would stand there going, "Grandpa, your heart rate is 69.....now it's 72...." Grandma had to explain every number and every line on there to him. So that was a fun visit.

I am trying to get dad interested in getting LifeLine - that little thing you wear around your neck or on your wrist to push in case of emergencies? I have to say that most people hate admitting they need that kind of assistance. I'm sure I will be just as stubborn when I need it. So he is resistant and believes he'll always be able to get to a phone to call 911. The problem is, we've had two examples this week of his resistance to even tell my mom when he needs to get to the hospital. He's not exactly timely with his information. I'm tempted to just get it for him, use my key to their house and let the guy in to install it and say, "There. It's there. Too bad. Get over it!" But knowing him, he'd take it off in the shower or leave it by the bed. He's a stubborn man. I must get that from him. I'm doomed.

Well, keep prayers going up that he'll see the wisdom in getting LifeLine. I know many people who have had it and it gives them a peace of mind. Keep prayers going that God can break through his stubborn streak in order to get him quick care. I just want my mom to feel free to leave the house - without wondering what she'll find when she returns. That's not a fun way to live.

Love you all...

Dad Back in the Hospital

Mom called me close to noon today to say she was taking dad back to the ER. He was having chest pain that 3 nitro pills didn't totally get rid of.

By the time I got to the ER (pretty quickly), they had dad in a room, hooked up and all sorts of monitored. We got to chat with the manager of the cardio unit there for a while as they explained things to mom. Basically, with this heart episode, the choice of whether to do a heart catheter or not was made for him. We heard the cardiac doc tell dad, "You have to have this done." We also found out that dad's electro-cardio doctor (I'm murdering the real terms here) is the top of the top. The whole group in the ER sang his praises. And they also told us that the cardio doc that was treating dad was cream of the crop, too. Apparently, this new hospital has been busy stealing the best cardio staff from other facilities. So dad is in the best place possible around here! Thank you God!!!

They prepped him for the heart cath and took dad (with us trailing behind) to the cath lab. They put us in the waiting room saying it would be about 45 mins to an hour later. That was noonish. Around 2:30, we thought we should start poking someone. The doc came out a bit later (almost 3:00) to update us. It had really taken that long. It took a whole hour just to feed the catheter in there. His age and a strange branching of the arteries made it slow going. As you age, your arteries start twisting and turning. So it takes a while to get it in there.

Once they got into the heart, they found the blockage in the area that had showed up in earlier tests. They found it almost completely blocked - at dad's age, it's calcium deposits. It was the distal (sp?) artery - one of the lower ones. They put the balloon in there to open it up and then put in two stints. So the flow was restored. The doc told us that dad isn't out of the woods yet. Meaning, this isn't some instant cure to aging. He made sure to explain that this kind of heart blockage is just what happens with age in most people. It's what they used to call hardening of the arteries. And if you think about all of his medical issues, he's doing pretty darned well for 80 years! He will be on plaxil (sp?) for 6 months and they'll continue on the cumaden (sp?) indefinitely. He'll be closely monitored probably from now on. I'm sure the docs will be figuring out the long term game plan over this next day or so. Right now they want to see how he does in this next 24 hrs.

Dad told us in the hallway outside the cath lab, "I feel SO much better." He was pretty doped up but kept his humor up. He introduced one doc to me saying, "This is my daughter the stand up comic." So he was obviously feeling better.

They let mom & me accompany him up to the ICU unit but we had to wait in the family waiting room for a bit. They had dad in a huge "luxury suite" as I call it. It's the one right across from the nurse's station so I was glad for that. He can't bend at the waist due to the incision for the catheter feed. Oh yah - one problem due to his age and blood thinners is that the bleeding at the incision didn't stop as quickly as they'd like. So he has a special bandaging there. And thus the no-bending thing. So they inclined his whole bed in order to allow him to drink & eat a bit. That was tough because he still wasn't fully inclined. It's so hard to swallow like that. So the nurse told him no eating/drinking unless she was in the room with him.

I left him around 4:30, I think? I couldn't really do much but get in the way and crack bad jokes. So I went to grab my boys from my wonderful neighbors who had kept them after school for me. I told mom to update me with any news. I intend to go back tomorrow to see his new regular room. I think Big Sis will be coming up tomorrow, too. So we'll make sure the family is well represented.

I have to tell you, dad is getting amazing care. All of my neighbors and church are asking what they can do. He & mom are well supported out here.

God rocks. Even in the crappy stuff.