Christmas has begun

Yesterday really started the Christmas season, with the smorgasbord at Bethel Lutheran Church. This is the 4th or 5th year we've gone, and this year Sue and Smithy went with us (mom and Bob, of course, take us). It was delicious, as always. I need to find the recipe for the candied nuts. They are so good! This was the first year we've gone to the second meal at 2:30, we usually go at 12:30. They sell the extra meatballs and korve  (Swedish potato sausage). We brought some meatballs, which will be tasty with either boiled potatoes or buttered noodles. Yum!

Tonight we has Christmas with Meg and Jason, they're leaving for Europe on Friday, so will be gone for Christmas. Boo! We did have a good time with Grandma and Grandpa Sieborg. Steve made his Kahlua last week, so Carol had a big glass of that, she was very happy when they left.

Tomorrow Steve HAS to put the bed together for Hailey. I moved some of the parts into the hallway in August, I think it was, so maybe he'd get tired of seeing them when he went back and forth to the office, but that didn't faze him. I asked him in November so Kerry could sleep on it when she came over while he was gone hunting, didn't get done. I started asking him 2 weeks ago to do it, when Matt said she could spend the night, and it's STILL not done. I have no idea what the problem is with him. Hailey can't even play with her toys because the dresser is in the way in there. It's just a mess! I need to get the phone number of the guy who fixed Gale's computer to see if he can fix ours. I want to do indexing for Family Search and put Family Tree Maker on it without it crashing.  I also think I want to get rid of my scrapbook stuff. I just don't do it like I used to. Right now, neither printer works, so I can't even print pictures! That room looks awful. I'm too busy with genealogy to do all the scrapbooking I have junk for. Maybe I should sell the stuff on eBay or something. It's too much to think about right now. I'm like Winnie the Pooh, my is stuffed with fluff and I can't think.

Sarah had her wisdom teeth out today, poor thing. What a way to spend winter break! Lucky girl though, when break is over, she'll be heading to Disney World in Florida for 3 months! I'm a little jealous of that, but having wisdom teeth pulled, not so much...

Road trip to see Dad

Mel, Meg, and I went to GI to see dad today. His birthday is Tuesday, but we went today since Mel and Meg couldn't get off work to go. We had a good day, probably should have had an earlier start, but we had a good time. Took dad to Applebee's for a late lunch and he got serenaded by the wait staff and got a warm brownie sundae. He was pleased. We had a really good time, actually. Nice sister, aunt, niece, daughter bonding time. We got dad a pair of Husker pajama pants and a Husker ball cap and he was thrilled. He had to show everyone his hat. I got a picture of him and Leland, I just like Leland a lot and I feel sorry for him being all by himself. His wife has passed away and they didn't have children. He's very much alone and he was so thrilled when dad gave him that Fossil watch for his birthday. After lunch we took dad to WalMart and he got his cargo pants and a few other things he needed, so he was happy about that. I hate the fact that he's so far away too, it seems like we drive so far and so long to see him and only get to spend a couple hours with him and then it's back home again. I'm glad he likes it there though, and everyone is so good to him!

I came home and downloaded the pictures Meg and I took today - and then I had a good cry. Who knows what the situation will be next year at this time? The fact is, dad has dementia and who knows where that will take us in the next year. That, and the fact that he is 79 years old this year... How many more years will we get to celebrate birthdays with him? Thank God he has some Albrecht genes that make him strong as a horse so physically I think he'll be around for awhile, it's really the mental part that I worry most about. It's so hard to watch a loved one disappear into a place you can't go. Truly, the body is just a shell with the person locked inside after while - I don't want to watch this with dad, I just don't know if I can bear it. I feel like sometimes I'm the one bearing the brunt of that burden. I know Mel is working and sleeping and doesn't have the same amount of time I do, but I hurt for dad when he calls and asks where Mel is because she won't answer the phone when she sees his number. And Missy... Psssssh.  As if she'd ever care about anyone but herself. She promised dad when he moved that she be out "for sure" once a week, and probably twice. So far she's made one trip out there - to pick him up for AJ's wedding, and Mel and I took him back. Sometimes she answers the phone, but most of the time she doesn't, so obviously she's about as much help as a blow torch in hell. As usual She's now at Ray's almost all the time, of course leaving Medusa for Mel to take care of. Just like dumping her kids when something else strikes her fancy. Not sure yet what we're going to do with Buster, I think we're going to end up having to put him down... I'm not going to worry about it. I'm not going to worry about the utilities being paid or anything else. However, I am going to have to decide what to do with the life insurance that Missy is allegedly paying for. Dad has $200 left over after we pay his maintenance fee at Grand Island. Out of that I have to take $70 a month for his cable bill, and the rest is his to spend. If Missy thinks he's going to pay for the insurance she's telling everyone she's paying for, she can think again. That would give him a grand total of $30 for spending money for the month. If he gets a haircut at the barber shop at the home, that's $10, and if he buys a carton of cigarettes, that's $32, and we're already in the hole. I know he needs the burial insurance, but he can't afford it, it's that simple. And let's not even consider the $600 she owes Mel for her cell phone bill because she went 400 minutes over the plan last month. So now Mel will probably lose her phone too. What a mess... And that's how it was today, Sunday November 13, 2011.

I hate deer season. Hate, hate, hate it.

It's times like this when I know that Steve doesn't know or understand how I feel, physically or emotionally. I cannot handle being home alone with six dogs. I love my dogs to death, they are an extension of me and they're the only ones who are there for me when I really feel like crap. However, when I feel like crap, I cannot take care of all 6 of them. And not only does Steve HAVE to go deer hunting, he has to go for five days - he's gone for 2 days before the season even opens! What the hell? Friday morning I got up, went to the bathroom and came back to bed to find that Cookie had peed in the bed. And in all her littleness, she didn't miss a thing but the pillows! So I had to strip the bed, carry everything downstairs, wash, dry, and remake the bed. It's time like that, that I really miss my little trailer. Everything was on one floor. Here I can stay on the main floor, but the washer and dryer are still downstairs and I can't carry a full laundry basket upstairs anymore. It's easy to shove stuff DOWN, but it's another matter altogether to get it back UP.

I had a good day today, I really did. Went to Goodwill and found a pair of jeans and then I went to Wal-Mart and got dad some Husker pajama pants and a Husker ball cap (he never wears a ball cap, but he told me today he wanted one...) for his birthday, and a card. Matt was going to bring Hails over today, but but she had a bad case of vomiting at Bagel Bin, so they decided to stay home. I asked Matt if I could stop by there, so I got her a couple sticker books and a color books, and I stopped by there. She was so happy to see me and I was thrilled to see her too! We visited for a little bit - we played with her sticker book and she colored a bit, and then we read some books. She has a harmonica and she was so cute playing with that! She blow a note and then she'd laugh and giggle, play another note, laugh and giggle, I wish I would have had my iPod with me, or my camera that does videos, she was so damn cute! Magann said Hailey was going to be over during the week, so they'd try to stop over. I hope so. It's been a month since I saw her and I can't believe how much she's changed! You could understand her before, but she still talked a lot of baby talk that you kind of had to figure out what was going on... Now she talks and talks and talks, and only rarely is hard to understand. She wanted to call Stephen on the phone, but he wasn't home. She loves to talk to him. We talked about everybody in Stephen's family and how much she loves baby Kaylee... She's growing up SO fast... She told me about her hayrack ride at the pumpkin patch, and the bee on her apple at the orchard. It's hard to believe she's only 2!

Anyway, by the time I got hom I was hurting pretty bad. Like, I actually called Meg to see if she could come feed the dogs bad. She was busy tonight, Jason had a show at Northwest, I think she said, so that was out. Mom was going out to dinner with Sue and Smitty, so that was out. I may or may not have dropped a few F bombs, and took a pain pill and crawled into bed. The dogs just had to wait. They weren't happy, but I just couldn't do it. Tomorrow Mel, Meg, and I are going to Grand Island for dad's birthday, and then, FINALLY, on Monday Steve will be home. I swear to God, this is the LAST freaking year I'm going to stay here by myself. We'll see how I am by Monday.  Steve did call tonight - we had a lousy connection (how ironic is that?). Brett got a big buck today, only 3 points, but Steve said it must weight about 250 pounds, bigger than anyone (from their group) has ever gotten. Cool. Wish Steve had gotten a couple so he could just come home. As if...

I went to see Dr. S on Friday. We had a little chat about whether or not this stuff that I've noticed lately is due to MCTD or fibro... He noticed that he hadn't had an ANA or any other rheumatological blood tests done since Dr. Klein had done them last, so we got those. I like Dr. S, I really do, but I felt again like I used to feel when I first got sick. Nothing we can do about the possible esophageal problems because they aren't constant. He can order the tests, but if I'm not having the problem every day, so the tests really wouldn't show anything. sigh... We'll see what the blood work shows. The last ANA was negative, but that was the first negative one in quite some time, so we'll see how things stand now. I'm going to stay on the Savella until the end of December, if I haven't noticed some relief by then, he'll taper me off that. I kind of think to myself that if I'm not getting relief from a fibro drug, doesn't that make sense that maybe it's not fibro pain? He did change my hydrocodone to the 10/325, so I can take 2 at a time if I need to without going over my Tylenol limit for the day. That's some good news I guess. Save a little bit of my liver anyway. Ha ha ha... Small joke. That's about it, I guess, until I get those results. Happy Veteran's Day to all my friends and family who are vets - even if they don't read my rambling... I'm so proud of you and all you did to keep us free.

Can We Replay Today?

The day wasn't so bad - believe me, it was worse for dad.... But let me start at the beginning. Mel called me this morning to let me know she was on her way over to get me. Dad, Mel, and I had discussed that I was going to be in charge of dad's finances from now on. I thought that just might be a good idea since he's going to be in Grand Island. It's not Mel, I distrust, I'll leave it at that. I talked to dad the other day and asked him how much cash he actually had in the house. Last I knew it was a pretty good amount. Well, now he has none. Not one red cent.... Okay, he has a change jar on his dresser, so maybe he has about 10 bucks, but that's about it. So we talked about it and I decided to take over taking care of the funds.

So, Mel woke me up and told me she was on her way over. Cool. I was ready, all except for "putting my leg on" as I refer to bandaging up my ankle and putting on the boot, so we were soon on our way. Went to the credit union and got all the finances straightened out, got a check for the GIVH for Monday and reordered new checks with the correct address on them. Check.

We needed some boxes because we planned on cleaning out dad's closet today and getting rid of the stuff that didn't fit, so we went to U-Haul and got 3 boxes and a new roll of tape. Check

Dad wanted to take us out to lunch for all we've done for him and just to have a good time today, so we went out to Big Fred's. I got my old standard, Phil's Salad, which I couldn't finish, as usual, so I got it in a box to take home. This is important to remember... Check.

Next, we had to go get Sarah's check and get it deposited into her bank for her since she had to work tonight and wanted to get her money into the bank today. Check

We're on the way to Village Pointe, when dad said he had a stomach ache - uh oh... We got out to the shopping center and wouldn't you know it, there was no place to park. We drove around twice while looking for a place, but dad really had to use the restroom, so we stopped at the Theater complex so he could use the bathroom, we dropped him off and said we'd be right back as soon as Mel got Sar's check. We drove around the parking lot 3 more times looking for a close place, but finally decided to just double park in front of the theater, Mel would run down and get Sar's check and we'd be close for dad when he came out. Dad came out all right - he didn't quite make it to the bathroom. Uh oh... But he got himself pretty well cleaned up except for his socks. And his shoes... And the toilet in the theater wouldn't flush and he really didn't make it to the toilet... OMG... I felt horrible for him, but really, when you're a 54-year-old woman, they really frown on you accompanying a 78-year-old man into a public restroom. Dad did mention to the guy at the door that they might want to get a janitor into the men's bathroom... Oh for the love of Pete... Mel got back to the car about then and realized dad hadn't quite made it to the bathroom, so plans to go to the bank were altered a bit. We decided to take dad home to shower and Mel would run the check to the bank for Sarah while I started packing the closet. Check.

When we got to Mel's I grabbed my purse, my empty soda can, the envelope of information for the home, and my salad and finally managed to extricate myself from the back seat, which isn't as easy as it sounds with the damn boot on. I asked Mel to grab my camera bag, but still managed to be the last one in the house. I was walking up the first flight of stairs, from the foyer to the living room, and dad was just rounding the living room stairs, about to go up the second flight to the bedrooms when he lost his balance and fell backward. I don't know how the hell he did it, but he was falling backward down the flight of stairs I was standing on. All I heard was a crack (like I heard when I broke my leg) and I yelled, "DAD!!" at the top of my lungs and dropped the salad, the pop can, and the envelope I was holding in order to grab dad and catch him as he fell - which I did. All 275 pounds of him. I'm going to feel that tomorrow!  All I saw as I caught him was the salad I dropped on the stairs and I remember thinking "Oh my God, he threw up too..." I was very relieved to see it was my salad! Mel was screaming for Missy, who was out on the deck talking on her cell phone, as she was running over to help. Missy was oblivious, while Mel and I tried to get dad up the stairs and onto the living room floor, which we finally did, which was more difficult than it sounds because by this time I realized dad was okay, it wasn't vomit on the stairs, and then I got the darn giggles. I could barely stand up, I'm trying to push dad up the stairs while Mel pulled, and I had to pee so bad, it just struck my darn funny bone. I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe. Double check...

Between Mel pulling and me pushing (It's a good thing dad isn't a Stretch Armstrong doll, or his arms would be 6 feet long...) we finally got him at least onto the living room carpet where we saw that he had cut two of his fingers pretty bad. By that time, Missy had finally realized what was going on and she helped him get to his feet and out into the kitchen to run some cold water over his fingers while Mel ran to get some towels.  I finally made it to the bathroom and by the time I got out, I looked over the railing (cracking my head on the ceiling over the lower staircase - you have to see the house to see what I mean) and saw PeeWee finishing off the salad that was all over the stairs. I can't believe he didn't spend the rest of the afternoon yarking, not exactly good for dog tummies. After cleaning up dad as best we could, from both accidents; and cataloging his injuries (A big gash on one finger on each hand, a cut above his elbow on the right, and a small puncture wound on his right calf), we decided he would need a stitch or two on each finger so I asked Miss if she would take dad to the hospital while Mel and I got the rest of the errands run. She was pissed and dad had to give her 10 bucks for gas, but she did take him. He did end up needing one stitch in each finger. Thanks goodness he has had a tetanus shot recently, so he didn't have to have another one - but I think he would have preferred that to the lidocaine in the finger prior to the stitches!

While they were gone, Mel and I got Sarah's check into the bank and got dad's closet all cleaned out, and one whole dresser cleaned out and everything packed to bring over to my house. Since Mel doesn't have an apartment yet and Missy isn't sure of her future living plans, we storing everything at my house. We've got 2 empty bedrooms in the basement, that way we won't have to pay for storage and if dad gets tired of the shirts and sweats he has packed to wear, we can switch out clothes with him.

About the time everybody got back home and settled in, dad's guardian ad litem showed up with some Very Good News... Dad FINALLY has a court date for his divorce!!! Yahoo!!! It's December 28. Happy Freaking New Year!  Thank God for his GAL, because if we left it up to his divorce attorney, we'd never get anywhere. Although he might be willing to get his butt moving now because dad's expendable income is next to nothing and we're not going to be giving him $500 every other month to do absolutely NOTHING.  Anyway, that was good news, and I was very happy to hear that.


I get so mad at Missy sometimes, I can't believe God let that idiot procreate. And she's done such a stellar job. Not. She told Mel tonight that she was going to spend the weekend at Ray's. I can't believe it. She's been walking around bawling all week because she's going to miss dad soooo much, she wishes he didn't have to go, yet the last 2 days he's home, she goes off to Ray's. Oh, the love is almost palpable, isn't it? Then AJ and his damn wedding. For months dad has been so excited because AJ told him that he was going to wear a tux. Dad has been telling everyone how excited he was that he was going to wear a tux at the wedding. Then AJ tells him sometime during the past week or so that he wasn't going to wear a tux, but a suit. Dad doesn't have a suit. AJ told Mel to take dad out and get him measured and fitted for a suit and AJ would buy him one. So Mel took him out and got him measured and AJ called Mel tonight and told her that he didn't have the money to buy one, so dad would have to get it himself. After I told AJ the other night in an unrelated conversation that dad didn't HAVE any money. And to top it all off, Missy told Mel that AJ couldn't afford the suit IN FRONT OF DAD. How effing stupid can you be? Dad said to never mind, he wouldn't go to the wedding. I found a letter several months ago that AJ wrote to dad, telling him how important he was to AJ, that dad was his "best buddy" and how much AJ loved him - right.... And this is how you treat that person? WTF? I'm so disappointed in Aaron, I really am. I wish I had the money to buy a damn suit, but I sure don't. Even if dad could wear a tux that didn't match the groomsmen or whatever, that would sure be cheaper than having to buy a suit. I wish they'd just freaking elope. And I sure hope they're not expecting a grand wedding present from us.

Well, there's nothing anybody can do about it, you can't fix selfish I guess, just the same as you can't fix stupid. In this family, it's pretty much one in the same. When AJ stiffed Matt for the medical bills when Matt hurt himself out riding Aaron's ATV and he promised to pay for them because his insurance didn't cover anyone else, I didn't think so much about it. He was young, he didn't have a great job, and the bills were expensive, no big deal, but this is reprehensible. This is his GRANDPA for the love of Pete... Ah well, I feel better just venting about it. I just feel so darn bad for dad that I want to smack the shit of just about anybody spawned by that idiot sister of mine.

The 22-Year Itch, or Why I Wish I Had Stayed Single

It's hot - and humid, and I'm tired and cranky. Or maybe fed up would be the better word. I think I'd be a lot happier sometimes if my life was a place of my own and my dogs. Sometimes being married is almost not worth the effort. Who am I kidding, it's not worth the effort.

Tonight we went over to be with dad while Mel went to see Jason Aldean. Yes, I know I was just bitching about my sisters recently, but you know, we have to work together to get dad taken care of and in a safe place. Once that's done, I'll decide whether I want to deal with everybody else or be a hermit. I know how much Mel wanted to see the concert and when her friend got her tickets I felt like it wouldn't be such a big deal to go spend some time with dad. We didn't have any big plan tonight, other than to go to Borders, which means I watch Steve read magazines while I try to look interested in something interesting to keep my interest. Luckily Borders is closing, so I won't have to worry about that anymore - although it's really about the only thing we do together anymore.

After we stopped at Arby's for dinner (Steve's favorite restaurant and my least favorite), we headed on over to dad's. First thing I said to Steve when went into the house was to leave the chair by the windows for dad because that's the only chair dad can get in and out of - so he immediately went over and sat in the chair. Maybe I just imagined I said it...

Almost the first thing out of dad's mouth was, "How about we go for a ride over to about 158th & Dodge?" What a coincidence, Pam lives over in that neighborhood! "Why?" "I have to give someone a bathing suit." "No, dad, we're not going to Pam's so you can drop off a bathing suit." Keep in mind she left a year ago last March - a whole swimming season has come and is nearly gone and she's just now missing her bathing suit? "I'm just going to toss it up on her balcony." "No." "I"m not going to talk to her." "No." "We can go out for ice cream afterwards." "Why don't we just go out for ice cream and forget the bathing suit?" No answer. I won that round.

Twenty minutes later we're watching dad's favorite channel (ID - Investigation Discovery), when he says, "Missy had Marc shut my phone off". "Dad we talked about this for 3 hours yesterday, I'm not going to talk about it anymore." "I want a phone." "You don't need a phone." "Do you have your phone with you?" "No." I lied, so I had to reach in my purse and look for something while I surruptitiously shut the thing off. Thankfully that did end the conversation about phones and Pam. Even with dementia you'd think he'd know better than to ask me to take him anywhere within a mile of that Devil's Spawn. So, we watched some show about the Ten Deadliest Women (horrific show BTW), and he settled in pretty much for the rest of the evening. He really was in a good mood, and about 9:30 or so, Steve got out of his chair and went to the dining room to sit at the table and read. I really wasn't having a bad time at all, as a matter of fact, I nearly finished Laura Ingraham's book "To Thee I Zing" - good book, and several parts had me laughing out loud. Good book! Mel and Sarah got home about 11:40, and before I could even ask how the concert was and look at their pictures, Steve was standing at the front door, hat already on his head, waiting to leave. God forbid we engage in some social politeness. He would have a fit if I treated his family like that - lucky for him, I have more manners, and I genuinely love my in-laws.

I don't think we really needed the air conditioning on the ride home. I said at one point, "I know you're mad, but thank you for coming with me and being supportive", I didn't at the "for once" that nearly slipped through my mouth though. Of course he didn't answer. That is the one thing that absolutely infuriates me - that, or giving me the Vulcan Death Stare. Luckily, neither of us are Vulcans, so I'm not dead yet. Totally ignoring me is also another way to tell me later that I never said anything, as in "I never heard you say that" so I must be nuts, right? Some kind of acknowledgement would have been nice. I don't even care if it wouldn't have been something along the lines of "I'm never going out there again", would be better than being ignored. The chill lasted all the way home, even after I commented that maybe I should put blue neon lights under my car so it would glow blue at night - I really thought that would get something... As soon as he let the dogs out and back in, he bolted for his Man Cave, even though it was 12:30. I love my life. Not so sure about this relationship thing though. Is total disinterest and no respect grounds for divorce? Thank God for India at this point, at least somebody listens to me - poor girl.

Yesterday dad spent the afternoon with me and we stopped at Wal-Mart for peach water. I picked up 12 bottles of tangerine/lime water instead of peach. Nasty stuff, I thought they were trying to poison me until I finally read the label. I intended to take it back today, but it was too freaking hot and I was up until after 2:30 with achy legs. Now, I wish I had taken them back... I'd like a peach water and hydrocodone please - and Calgon. Yes, Calgon would be good too...

Looking forward to this weekend. Matt has Hailey, so we'll get to see her. The week and a half she's with her mom seem to get longer and longer all the time. She changes so much from one visit to the next. Pardon the whine, but I still really miss having her with me every day. They are supposed to go to court in September. He got a letter from his lawyer on July 11, telling him that going to trial would cost between x and x amount of dollars and he (the lawyer) required 10% of the highest amount before trial. So, Matt assumed (you know what they say about assuming anything - especially where the law is concerned) that he would have until September to get the money. Oh hell no, the lawyer's secretary called him on Tuesday (or was it Wednesday) telling him they needed the money by August 1. Wow, how considerate.

Uh oh, Mr. Happy is coming to bed, better get ready to hit the hay - or wait, maybe he's just raiding the fridge...

Long story short - Matt got the money, thanks to his friend Joe, Mom, and myself. Of course Steve opted out of the "save Hailey" program. "I feel sorry for him, but..." Yeah, so much for how much he loves Hailey. About as much as he loves me, apparently.

Tuesday, Tuesday...

Last Sunday was Father's Day, so we went over to dad's and I gave him a card and told him we'd take him out to dinner one day this week. He asked when so I threw out Tuesday, because Dad loves to eat at Boyd and Charlie's and Tuesday night is Burger Night, where you get a 10-ounce burger and fries for $5.59 - what a deal, right? Well, this whole thing was coming up with Tilley and Callie, Lisa's dogs from Oklahoma and I had forgotten that Tuesday was the day Lisa was bringing them to Omaha. I'm taking Tilley on up to Kate in St. Paul (we're meeting in Clive, Iowa, again), and my friend India was taking Callie. D'oh - ad Homer Simpson would say. I thought maybe we would have to change the day, but that didn't work out as planned.

Dad called me this morning when I was talking to India and asked me when we were going to dinner, and he sounded very upset and was crying. I told him that we'd still go tonight, but I wasn't sure what time since Tilley was coming. He said okay, but I could tell he was still upset, but he told me nothing was wrong. Turns out I had forgotten we were meeting with his lawyer today at 12, so Mel sent me a text to remind me and I called to talk to her for a second and she said she was home today so I asked what was wrong with dad. Well, he had called my cell twice (once at 7:42 a.m.!!!) and I hadn't answered, so he wanted my home phone number and when Missy told him what it was he couldn't dial the phone because he didn't know which numbers were which. *sigh* I guess I knew this day was coming. I had read about something similar in the book "36 Hours", where a person with dementia can still read and knows what the word is, but it has no meaning for them. I guess this is similar, so dad has reached a new level, or gone down another level, depending on how you look at it.

So, dinner tonight was special to me. Of course I've known for months what was happening with dad - I saw it myself as far back as when Matt and Mirisa lived with him, but he seems to be sliding toward that abyss so much faster lately. He's been so unsteady on his feet, and it was much worse tonight-and even today at the lawyer's office, that I know it won't be long before taking him out anywhere is gong to be a major undertaking, if it's possible at all. He loves to hear about Hailey, anything I say about her makes him smile, so I told him about her loving to sing and saying, "Sing, Nana!" or "Sing, Papa" when we stop singing with her to enjoy her little voice. I told him we had gotten her a trike and hopefully she'll be excited about it when we see her next. I think about my grandparents and how happy they were when I had Meghan and I know my dad is just as thrilled hearing about Hailey - the years have just flown by. Seems like only yesterday that I had my Grandma Erikson come to my house for Christmas, and all 4 of her grandchildren (at the time) sat near her for a picture. I'd love to get a picture with Ryan, Hailey, and Vince, but the logistics of that are crazy! Anyway, I treat every dinner like this as a special occasion. I don't know how many more I'll have with my dad, I cherish every one.

Okay, now that I'm crying my stupid head off...

Lisa brought Callie and Tilley today. Poor Tilley. I think I need to get larger dogs when the time comes, they're so much more mellow then my weenies. Tilley is scared to death of them - and I can understand why. Poor sweetie. She's watched her mom take all her family memebers away one by one and when she comes back they aren't with her. Plus, she just lost her home and had to stay in Colorado for awhile, then today she goes for a ride with Callie and her mom leaves her. If my dogs were nicer to her I'd keep her for awhile before taking her to Kate, just to give her some time to adjust; but Kate and CJ have Keena, so she'll be seeing her sister again tomorrow and I hope that helps her a bit. They can compare notes about how horrid my house was and how glad they are to be with Kate! LOL! Poor things.

Callie is doing fine with India - I thought she would. She's even already let Randy rub her tummy, so I think that will be a smooth adjustment! Randy had brought the other dogs, Maui and Tristan, to the dog park where we met Lisa, but the weather decided to dump on us at that exact time, so we ended up going to Westroads and spending a little time with the Lisa before she left. Tristan and Maui seemed to hit it off with Callie and India has such a way with animals, it seems like a match made in heaven.

It was good to see Randy and India again. I haven't seen them since I worked at Northwest Precinct, and heaven only knows how long ago that was! I worked in Internal Affairs 14 years ago and I was at NW after that... I think... I don't really remember. I need to take out the old crew photo that Paula Timperley took of her crew and gave to me that year. I really do treasure that - and I think the year is on it. I know it was before Infantino threw me unceremoniously out of NW to go work as Don Thorson's secretery in CIB, that seems like forever ago! I loved working at Northwest, and it was so close to home, right by Hobby Lobby on 90th & Grant. Unfortunately, I wasn't doing favors for Capt. Infantino like his secretary was, so when he got transferred to NW when Capt. Crawford retired, he sent me packing. Not at all usual, usually the secretary stays in the bureau she works for and the command transfers around. Guess old Tony ha a soft spot in his heart for his secretary, Judy. Anyway... Got a little sidetracked... It was good to see them. Maybe sometime we can all get together and watch a movie or something. I get the feeling that Randy is a lot like Steve - just likes to chill and be quiet, and India is a lot like me - very outgoing and likes to talk and have fun. We could maybe have someone to do things with besides Bob and Carol. Ha ha ha.. India have a lot in common, besides loving our animals and having fibro. I don't think we'll ever run out of things to talk about. LOL!

Well, if I'm driving to Des Moines tomorrow I better get some sleep. Before I forget though, we had a pretty good storm in Omaha last night. Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel was here - scary, he seems to go where the weather is the worst! They clocked some winds at 75 mph and the tornado sirens went off for the straight line winds, for only the second time in history. We were really blessed though - we had NO wind at our house. None. With all these tall trees I'm always afraid in wind storms, but the Lord was looking out for us last night. We didn't even lose power - it only flickered and came right back on. Yay! Unfortunately we did have a lot of rain and the Missouri River rose another 3 inches. The flooding is bad, getting worse, and they're upping the amount they release from Gavin's Point again soon. I have a FB friend who lives in Plattsmouth who said they've heard rumors of being stranded because they might have to close the roads to the town because of the flooding. Tomorrow I have to take I-80 through town and through Council Bluffs to get to I80 going to Des Moines. Usually I'd take the Mormon Bridge and I680 to I29 and then over to I80, but that was is closed. I have a lot to be thankful for today. My only worry is that the water treatment facility will have to close or be shut down. It's already sandbagged and the river is rising past that point. I still think we should stock up on drinking water, but Steve seems to think that won't be a problem. Also, the nuclear power plant in Ft. Calhoun is surrounded by water. I've heard that workers have been told not to wade through the water or have any contact with it. That's scary, if true. Of course we haven't heard a word from the media about it. Well, I'll be grateful for what we have and pray for strength to take care of the rest.

Decisions, decisions

Really not a fun day today. I went to look at a couple assisted living places for dad. I tell you what, I shouldn't have gone to Bickford Cottage first! That place is nice, very, very nice. And expensive, very, very expensive. Like 5k a month expensive. It's just incredible how much those places cost! It was a real eye opener, that's for sure. I knew it was expensive but not "that" expensive. How can anyone possibly pay for that without some kind of assistance? Even with dad's VA benefits, pension, and meager social security check, he cannot afford that. With all the ballyhoo that's been on the news lately about how the first baby boomers are retiring this year and what a strain it will be on social security and Medicare, how do you deal with this?

Believe me, my husband is a frugal person. Frugal to the point of ridiculousness sometimes, IMHO, and we sure as hell wouldn't be able to afford to live in a retirement center like this. I'm grateful dad still doesn't need more help than he does. The room alone at Bickford is $2,600 a month and then on top of that we have to pay for the care he needs - they base that fee on the level of care he needs. I'm thinking he's at about a level 3, which is about 2k a month MORE!

Luckily, that wasn't the only place we visited today and I think I can find somewhere more manageable, money-wise, but holy crap, it will still be waaaaaaay more than what he has. The rep at the other place we looked made me laugh when she talked about the possibility of "spending down his assets". Ha ha ha... Like he has any assets left after being married to Miss Gold-Digger 1960. We're lucky he's held on to what he has for as long as he has!

It was also sobering to wonder what in the world Steve and I are going to do in the future. Face it, we're going to be 54 and 57 this year, not exactly spring chickens. I have a small (read minuscule) retirement account from working at the hospital and Steve has 20+ years worth of pension at his employer, but believe me, we're not going to be living in the lap of luxury in our golden years. Our lives are more than half over and we have a wonderful home, 2 cars, and everything we need to live now, but what happens in 5, 10, or 15 years? I don't want my kids to be burdened with dealing us in a situation like my dad's - and do I have dementia to look forward to? My grandmother had Alzheimer's, my father has temporal lobe dementia, so what's my lot in life? I absolutely do not want to live with dementia to the point my grandmother lived. I do NOT!

The VA home is still on the list of possible places to live, but I hate that it's so far away. If he fell or was sick and they called us or needed us there, it's about half an hour or more from here. I don't like that. Unfortunately, like isn't going to pay the bills.

The one thing I dread is having "the talk" with dad. He's going to absolutely blow a gasket. Maybe we should tell him and then find a place, just in case... LOL! (just kidding, really) He's been so tearful lately and I'm pretty sure that idiot wife (still - God, this will never end...) has been giving him a lot of crap lately. Mind games all the time. Telling him she loves him, she can't move back home because "the girls" are there, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.... She had a minor car accident last week after having dad take her out to dinner (He says she paid, I say BS, she's never paid for anything in their marriage, why start now?) Either way, she was going home and says she slid sideways into a tree, broke off her passenger mirror and did some damage to the right side of her car. Whatever. She has a cell phone - does she use it to call the police? Oh heck no - she drives home and then calls my dad. Really? What in the heck is he supposed to do? He doesn't have a car anymore. She's not hurt, but she doesn't know what to do. Well, moron, call the police - that's what you do when you have a car accident. Dad couldn't get anyone to take him to her apartment that night, it was a bad night out, and, like I said, what's he going to do? Come to find out she has a $1,000 deductible on her collision insurance. Yeah, have we mentioned how she's a genius? If you have no money, I understand trying to keep your insurance cheap, but you also have to factor in the fact you live in a place where it snows, it gets icy, and people have accidents. You really might have to come up with that $1000 if you have an accident. I suppose she thinks dad has it (ha ha ha), or that he's going to give it to her (if I find out he did he's a goner, I swear....) I'm so sick of her and her BS and her her twisting dad around and leaving him to hang in the wind. I wish to God that he's never met her - and that's second only to my wish that he'd never met my mother (the only reason that's second it because if he hadn't met my mother, I probably wouldn't be here.) I can only imagine the frustration Mel feels, because I know I'm about ready to throttle myself from the stress! If I had to live with him I don't know what I'd do.

I told Steve today, after touring just one place, that you ought to go straight from high school to a nursing home. What good does it do to work, and work, and work some more to have a nice house to raise your kids and grandkids and enjoy life, when by the time you're ready to retire or downsize you can't afford to anyway? What have you really gained in life that you get to keep when you're old and not working and are able to just enjoy what you have? You can't have it because you can't afford it!!! I look at our house now - we could afford it 7 years ago. I was working, Steve was working, the taxes were half of what they are now, and Steve was putting money into retirement, I was putting money into retirement. Than WHAM. I can't work anymore, the economy tanks, taxes go through the roof, and our mayor starts making taxes up!!! Let's tax services, and buying prepared food at the grocery store, and going out to restaurants, and movies, and hotels... When does it end?

I know this sounds silly because you're obviously not taking it with you when you go, so why do we work for it to begin with? Hmmm. That's something to ponder.

In the meantime, I'm going to love my family, my kids, my grandchild, my dogs, and the rest of my stuff because really it will probably all be gone sooner than I expect!!!

Dad wants to add her to his bankruptcy now too. I'm not helping her. No way, no how, because if something should go wrong, or we miss a bill that she owes, or whatever can go wrong does, I'm not going to be responsible. Nope. Not me. I expected this though, since dad has already hired and attorney and paid the retainer, heavens yes, why should SHE have to put up any money?

And I wonder why my BP is high? Ha ha ha... Laugh while you can is going to be my new motto.

This and That for November!

	Reverently, Quietly .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Isn't this a great shirt? I want it! My old prednisone shirt is looking a little worn!

I love this picture of Hailey - When I see it I think of the Primary Song "Reverently, Quietly" (which you should be able to hear when you click on the green button in the above song bar), but I have to confess that she folds her arms when she's ticked off and I just happened to catch her with her eyes closed! There was nothing reverent or quiet about this picture!

Steve is off on another killing spree... Don't worry, only Bambi and her mama are in danger! I hate this week of the year, absolutely hate it! I don't particularly care for deer meat and I don't know why he goes if we're not going to eat the meat. He hasn't actually shot a deer for years now anyway - probably just an excuse to go away and play with the boys for a week or so. Wish I could find a good excuse to do the same!

As usual, with Steve gone, one of the dogs have to have a health problem. Ruger got up this morning and wouldn't eat his breakfast. I called the vet, because of his Cushings I tend to take his health a little more seriously than I do the others. Dr. Jesske called back about 4:30 to see how he was doing. I still hadn't been able to coax him to eat or drink anything. I even tried putting his bowl of food on the table by the chair, because he loves to eat anything that might be left on that table for say... 2 seconds! Still, he hadn't touched it. Dr. J said to bring him on in for a couple injections of fluid since he hadn't been drinking, and a steroid shot. He asked when Ruger had his last Lysodren pill and I really don't know if Steve remembered to give it to him on Wednesday or not, so he said we'll just hold it until Ruger is past this crisis. Tomorrow he has to go back in for blood work. I noticed his tummy is becoming a little bare again and his hair is falling out by the handful - might be time to adjust his meds again. Poor sweetie. He always looks so worried! His eyebrows have turned white in the past couple months, which gives him a perpetual Eeyore look.

Hailey was here this week - so it was a good week. She has grown another tooth - that makes 5! So she now has 3 on the top and 2 on the bottom. This week she perfected her walking backward skill and is holding her hands over her head and twirling around so she can dance more with The Wiggles now! I can't wait for Christmas and watch her with the DVD we got her that has some of her favorite songs on it. The one we watch now is good, but not so much familiar stuff on it. She just LOVES The Wiggles!

The excitement of the first snow is over! We had a couple inches last night. I didn't mind the snow as much as hearing branches fall on the roof because the snow was so wet and heavy. Of course the dogs are on high alert because Daddy is gone, so every little sound makes them very nervous. Consequently, they barked until almost midnight at every bump and creak, which of course creeped me out and made me nervous. It was a vicious circle! By 4:30 when I took Ruger to the vet, the streets were all just dry with wet spots from the melting snow (which will turn to ice tonight, with an expected low of 29). There's still snow on the grass in most places, but it's all fallen out of the trees and walking wasn't too bad. As I was watching it fall last night I kept wondering who was going to shovel the driveway and sidewalks today. I knew I sure wasn't. I have no idea how to use the snow blower, and I don't even know if it has gas in it yet! We were expecting 3-6", and I thought it might be a problem, but it wasn't. Whew. Dodged that bullet!

Still dealing with Missy's lack of comprehension where the English language is concerned. Mel needed to work a lot of OT this weekend, but Missy had a headache. She went to Ray's yesterday at 4 p.m. and Mel told her she really needed to get back to work last night and today to get the OT in. Of course Ray's truck has bad tires (oh yea...) and she couldn't make it home until noon today. I might have more sympathy for Missy if she didn't get headaches whenever someone expected her to do something, or if she got the shot, then came home instead of spending the night with her man du jour. All I'm concerned with is dad, but if you try to say anything to her, she takes it as a personal attack.

Looks like they're going to have to lock up the medicine at home. (I hope they can find a lockbox big enough to hold Missy's stash.) Friday Missy was going to give dad his noon meds when she discovered that all of Friday's pills were gone. She called Mel to see if she should give him more. (I'm not even going there...) I called Dr. Green to check on the status of all the paperwork she has, and the nurse called me back because she was concerned about possible interactions with the medications if they were taken all at once. He didn't have to go in, but we had a good discussion about safety measures for dad at home. Mel said he's been up late at night and she heard him on the phone with Pam one night about 2:30. I'm wondering about Sundowners. He came downstairs one night at 10 p.m. to take his 3 p.m. medications because he thought it was afternoon... We're afraid that he might fall down the stairs while he's wandering. He won't use the walker that we borrowed from Bob and Carole. I told Mel we're just going to have to follow him around with the walker. Every time he goes into the living room, put the walker right next to him. If he goes into the dining room, but the walker next to him. Constantly remind him that he has to use it. He has a lot of pain in his knees, especially since his last round of falls. I'm worried about the multi-level house too. Lots of things to worry about. We need to try to get Missy to understand that he simply CANNOT be left alone. Mel has told her this time and time again, yet she'll leave him at home while she runs errands. It'll only take seconds to fall, and we all know Missy's "errands" can last for hours.

One good thing is the VA had sent dad a list of Adult Daycares that he would be able to use. (I hate that term - adult daycare...) Anyway, one on the list was Sarah Care on 132nd and Maple. Mel did a tour last week and it sounded great. Dad is qualified for the VA to pay for 2 days per week until March 2011 - that's good news! Now, when Missy doesn't show up after a night out, Mel can just take dad there and he'll be taken care of. That's a BIG relief - too bad he doesn't qualify for more days - but we'll be happy with what we get.

Hailey goes back to the doctor this week on Thursday to see if her leg had been fractured. She's been getting around on it this week with no problems, so I don't know what to think. Well, I know what to think, but I'm not saying! We'll see what the doctor thinks!

Pictures anyone?

Hailey being tickled by Aunt Momo!

Does this hat make my head look big? No, really!!!

Hailey with the messy chin - that's her secret code name.

Hailey, her lamb and her nana. What more could a girl ask for?

Hailey teaching daddy how to read. And below she enjoys just reading to herself. Love my baby's baby!

Wow, if we had known what was coming... I'd a left town

It's been an adventure these past weeks. Not going into too much detail since this is a public blog, but dad has had some pretty severe health and mental issues. He was at Lakeside in ICU for a week and unconscious for 4 days, and now he's at the VA on their psych ICU floor. He's doing SO MUCH BETTER though, that I can't believe he's the same person he was 3 weeks ago. I haven't seen him walking, talking, or interacting this well since before his car accident a year ago last March. I think part of it is that he doesn't have to worry about his "wife" pulling anymore crap, like not depositing her entire paycheck, not paying bills, or being out messing around on him. I know that I've witnessed a couple miracles since he's been in the hospital and I know that God has played a big part in getting dad back on the road to recovery. Next week, he'll have a couple classes he has to attend, but he'll be able to have some passes to come home and I know how much he's looking forward to that.

In other news, Miss Hailey is growing by leaps and bounds. She's started to say something that sounds like, "z'at" which is loosely translated as "what's that?". She's always pointing and saying, "Z'at?" -- Too darn cute! She walks on the inside of her playpen, holding on to the sides, and stands up for LONG periods of time to watch TV - apparently she doesn't like watching through the mesh! Her favorite TV channel is still Passport, where she watches all kinds of Sprout activities. She's not into the cartoons so much, but she loves it when Chicka squeaks and whoever the morning host is reads the birthday cards --- Wonder if she knows her name will be on there in a couple of months! She adores The Wiggles because she loves music and loves to dance! They can keep her attention for the entire show and she seems disappointed when it's over! Silly bug!

My Canaon Rebel died - which makes me very, very mad. I waited all winter for summer to come so I could go out and take pictures and now summer is here and the camera is dead. Well, it's really not totally dead, only if I want to use the flash. I guess I could go take outdoor pictures, but I'd like to take pictures of Hailey and all the cool things she's doing. The old Canon PowerShot 30 is about dead too. It takes a new battery about every 5 minutes. Ugh. I don't feel like a good camera is a luxury - heck, I'm the family historian! I neeeeeeed to take pictures!

Nothing else new and exciting... I haven't even had time to work on scrapbook pages or anything that I'd really like to. Hailey keeps me jumping during the day and by night time I'm so tired I could care less about hobbies!

I was seeing a new doctor (chiropractor) that was doing some real good on my back pain - but then I haven't had the time to go. His last appointment of the day is at 5:30, so I haven't been going since I've been going to see dad in the evening after Steve gets home and this week Matt has had my car because his car died and he's had to use mine. Can't have a car seat in his dad's truck. He's tried so hard to get another car, but his dad can't co-sign for him and Matt doesn't have enough credit to get a loan on his own. Steve gets mad because I let Matt use my car, but I haven't heard him volunteering to co-sign. Matt's a good kid - I know he would make sure he paid the car payment, but unfortunately Steve's been burned a little in another situation, so he's not going to stick his head out over this one. Oh well, everything will work out in the end!

So thankful to my friends at church and the missionaries, the Temple prayer roll, and a lot of praying on our part to get dad back to where he is today. Sometimes, you just can't thank God enough.

TGIF

Wow, it's been a long week! These holidays are killing! I agree with my brother that I'm glad the holidays are over because now I can look forward to spring and summer - most definitely more to my liking than winter! Actually, it's not supposed to be too bad this weekend with highs in the mid-40s, anyone who has lived in Nebraska for any length of time knows that weather like that is a treat in January.

Mike (Steve's nephew) is here from Memphis to visit his son for several days, so we're all getting together tomorrow night in the Old Market to have dinner at the Spaghetti Works. Mike and his family moved to Tennessee before school started this year when his wife got a great job there. We miss them a lot, so it will be fun to see him and go out to dinner. I'm starting to sound like somebody else in the family who never cooks and goes out to eat all the time - and I don't mean Missy, either! It's kind of nice not to have to use the new dishwasher, I'm sure it'll last longer this way! ha ha!

I'm having a terrible time trying to sleep this week, for some reason I just don't feel sleepy. The problem is I think I'm still just wired from the holidays and can't relax when I go to bed. Even with my Ambien I was up the other night until 4 - and as you can see, it's after 2 and I'm still wide awake.

I just have to tell everyone how proud I am of my 13-year-old niece, Sarah. She's been growing her hair out for a couple of years so it would be long enough to donate to Locks of Love, I think it had to be 10" long, and she finally made it this past weekend. She looks so cute with her short hair, I just love it! I'm so proud of her for wanting to donate her hair though. What a sweetheart! My pictures are on my laptop, hopefully I'll remember next time I'm logged on and I'll post the before and after pics.

The docs really piled the work on tonight, holy Moses! I worked my fingers to the bone and still feel like I didn't accomplish much. I'm trying to figure out how I can log in and do nothing for hours and still make my line quota, like someone who shall remain nameless. It's going to be a long week - our manager went to Walt Disney World with her family, and her brother and his family (wouldn't that be fun?), so I imagine I'll pretty much be the only one working at night until she gets back. Not that that's anything new, it just gets old after awhile.

Steve's company store is finally open again - hallelujah! We can get the stuff Conagra makes for ridiculously low prices, and we've been seriously running low lately, but first they were closed for remodeling and then for the holidays. I think Steve said he was going to get up when the dogs wake him up (in about 4 hours - bwa ha ha) and then head over to Counciltucky to load up on some food. I'd go with him, but by the time I fall asleep, I'm going to be enjoying it! Besides, the only thing I really want is some Healthy Choice fudge bars, which I can't have since I cut out all caffeine - even chocolate - for the time being. Darn. He can load up on Snack Pack tapioca pudding, if they have any, that would be a good substitute. That's the only problem with the company store, you never know what they're going to have or how much they'll have. One time they had cases of Marie Callender chicken pot pies for 5 bucks. I think Steve got 3 cases - we ate a lot of chicken pies! I'm no such a fan of them anymore... heh

I'm lovin' my Garmy... I can't wait for spring so I can really get out and about. I hate to tell Marc this since he thinks my hobby is morbid, but now I'll be able to find cemeteries a lot easier when I'm out of town! I drove around Blair once for about 45 minutes looking for the cemetery - and Blair is not that big of a town. This will be great! Don't worry Marc, I won't post pictures on my Picasa page. ROFL!

I want to clean my closet out this weekend and get rid of the clothes that have been shoved to the back and are gathering dust. I got some new stuff for Christmas and in an effort to get rid of the clutter in the closet I'm going to get rid of the stuff that I don't wear any more. I could spend days in that closet, so tomorrow I'm going to really work hard to get everything straightened out. If I get the clothes taken care of, maybe I'll even tackle the built in drawers that have become junk magnets in the past couple of months. Yeah, well, we can always hope.

My friend, Cherry Blossom Girl, is moving to Minneapolis, darn, I'm so jealous, and I have to say she's been an inspiration to me as far as getting rid of clutter. Not that I've done anything about MY clutter, but just hearing how she's cleaned out and purged all her stuff does make me want to try to do the same. She's going to "The Cities" with only one large suitcase of clothes! Good for her! I'd never be able to purge that much, I'm too much of a pack rat, but some order would be good for me. BTW - I'm going to miss you CBG!

Well, the dogs are stirring, which must be a sign that I should let them out and then try to get some sleep and dream of warmer weather!

Night all! Pleasant dreams!

Welcome to the Family Miss Mittens

I got an e-mail the other day regarding the animal shelter in Harlan, Iowa, having a dog and 2 cats that were going to be put to sleep within the next few days if they weren't adopted. Mom and Bob lost their last cat, Mr. Tucker, in February and I know they've been missing having a pet to spoil rotten. I called them last night and mentioned "Mittens" was one of the cats, due to be PTS today. Mom said she'd talk to Bob and let me know. I don't think she even hung up (lol) before she called me back to tell me they'd take her. I called the shelter, staffed by volunteers, and talked to Dave to make sure Mittens was still available and made arrangements to come get her today. He took their vet information to check their reliability as good kitty parents and called me back this morning to tell me it was a go! Good thing, since mom and Bob went to Wal-Mart and bought the place out last night to prepare for her homecoming. They had to get a new kitty carrier, toys, food, etc. It was like Christmas all over for them!

We made the trip to Harlan today to pick up Miss Mittens. She's so sweet - and I'm not a cat lover! She was very good about getting in the carrier and didn't do too bad until we nearly got back home (it's about 60 miles), when she decided she had had enough of riding in the car and vomited an enormous amount! I didn't know cats could have projectile vomiting. Live and learn. We stopped over at mom's after dinner tonight to check on the new arrival and she was doing fine! She's very much a lady - where Mr. Tucker used to slap his paws at you to play like he was trying to throw a punch, MM very delicately extends her paw in friendship. She's a short hair too, and being with her didn't cause massive eye itching and nose running. Her dander didn't seem to bother me as much as most cats - that's a plus!

Welcome to the family, Miss Mittens!

Now that that's over...

This has been a busy, crazy week. I'm so tired I'm just stupid (shut up, Melanie...) I'm used to sleeping as long as I want to, or need to, in the morning and this week hasn't afforded me such a luxury. Monday was good... I think I got to sleep late. Actually, I can't remember! lol

Tuesday morning mom had her heart catheterization. Steve and I got up at 4:45 (yikes - I have been known to stay up that late...) so we could drive them to the hospital. We had an ice storm overnight and we were afraid the roads would be pretty bad. Turns out they weren't as bad as they could have been and we got them there in plenty of time. She had to be at the hospital by 7, and we got there 6:45. Her cath was scheduled for 9:30, and she was good to go. Unfortunately, it got pushed back to 10:30, so there we sat for 4 hours before the procedure even began! I hate to wait, and I especially hate to wait in hospitals. Nerve-wracking! To top it all off, mom was getting nervous and antsy, I can't say as I blame her. They told us the cath itself would take about 30 minutes and if they had to do an angioplasty or stent it would be about 90 minutes. By 12:30 we were starting to get a little concerned, but she came back soon after that and the news we got was good, she had no problems that needed to be fixed. The cardiologist wasn't happy with her HDL, so he increased her Lipitor, but that was the extent of it. She got to go home that afternoon.

Wednesday I had an appointment with the oral surgeon to get the results of the biopsy from my mouth. At 10 a.m.! That was fine too - thank God. I'm really getting tired of being cut on this week, but at least everything was good.

Yesterday I think the dogs got me up early. To be honest I can't remember yesterday morning either! Brother...

This morning I had a dentist appointment at 10. Why do I insist on setting appointments so early in the morning? Unfortunately I kept hitting the snooze and when I woke up it was 9:32. No way was I going to make it to the dentist's office by 10. I called, hoping to reschedule, but when I called I found out the appointment was really 11. I'm not sure if I was happy that I could make the appointment after all, or mad because I could have slept longer without having to mess with the alarm! The appointment went well and I got my old filling drilled out and replaced with a new one without too much difficulty. The only problem was the stupid numb lip I had until 3:30!

Our stupid computers for work were acting up again tonight. I get so frustrated with it. First I couldn't log in and then it was so freaking' slow all night. Ugh. The only high point of the evening was dinner from Jason's Deli. Yummy.

I think, knock on wood, that my Christmas shopping is finally done! I hope it's done... I can't think of another thing for another person. I ended up getting quite a few gift cards because I really didn't know what some people needed. And I know some people have events - like new babies - coming up and would like to be able to get what they need. Hey, I aim to please!

We were hoping that my brother would get to come home and we could have a family-type Christmas for the first time in over 20 years. It doesn't look that that's going to pan out. He was going to try to come in this week with his roommate, who was coming to town for h is mom's surgery, but that didn't work out. Now he has to go to San Francisco next for a meeting and by the time he gets done he doesn't know if his roommate will be back or not to take care of the dogs so he can come. I talked to him on the phone for awhile tonight, but it looks like it'll be after the first of the year before he can get the time to come back. I'm really disappointed, I really had hoped we could all get together. The only good thing is maybe he'll get to come back when Tony is home from Cuba

So, instead of having a family early Christmas, we're going to have a birthday dinner for Mel next Wednesday. Poor Mel - her birthday is the 22nd and she's never gotten to have a special birthday dinner with the family because everyone has always been in a frenzy over Christmas. Now it's her turn. We're having Turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, veggies, and all that good stuff - and a real live birthday cake for Mel. Not a Happy Birthday Jesus cake - a Happy Birthday Melanie cake! I'll have to do a good job on it for her! She's my baby sister don't cha know?

That's about it for right now! I plan on sleeping as late as I want tomorrow! Haha!!!

To honor our Viking Ancestors (Who are spinning in their graves about now...)

We visited the Scandinavian Store in Elkhorn yesterday. Believe me, no drinking was involved. I swear.















This is Steve. I think he looks a little embarassed here, but I could be wrong...

This is my father-in-law, Bob. Now, Bob is 100% Swedish, so maybe that's why he looks so fierce. LOL!











Here are Steve and I together. Haha! Look at Steve trying to look like a tough Viking warrior in that first picture!

I have no excuses for this one. None at all.

Odd dreams and thunderstorms

I had a dream about my grandparents last night. I've actually dreamt about them a lot lately for some reason. In this dream, Missy, Mel and I were at their house and I was trying to fix dinner, but my grandpa had gone to the store and not brought home any meat. I remember he had cinnamon rolls and cereal, but no meat, so I sent him back to the store. My grandma told him to get cube steak so I could make "crispy meat" (her words not mine). I guess she was trying to say she wanted me to make breaded meat because when he got back from the store I tried to make it, but they had no Italian bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese or garlic, so what I made was pretty awful. Then, while we were all sitting around in the kitchen eating a huge thunderstorm blew up. You had to have known my grandmother to realize what a disaster that was. The woman was terrified of thunder, lightning, anything related to stormy weather. How she survived for 80 years in tornado alley, I'll never understand. Anyway, last night in my dream she absolutely went off in hysterics about the impending storm. I grabbed her by the shoulders and just yelled at her, "It is what it is! All the crying and wailing in the world isn't going to stop the storm so go to the basement and get over it!" It was just such a bizarre dream. I can still feel her shoulders in my hands when I grabbed her. Isn't that odd? I remember one time when I used to listen to John Edward he said that our loved ones come back to visit us in our dreams, but not all the dreams we have of them, just the ones that stay with you. I guess if that's the case I had a visit from grandma and grandpa tonight. Funny thing - we're expecting some pretty good storms tonight and tomorrow. Odd.

Then tonight, after we had just finished a wonderful steak dinner I got a phone call from my dad. He was having trouble breathing and was having some chest tightness. He told me it was the second time that it had happened and he had gone to the hospital the first time and they sent him home with some anxiety medication, but it wasn't helping. I asked him if they had done an EKG or anything and he said no. Hello? Of course this was the same hospital where the ER doctor told him to put heat on tendinitis, so I didn't have much faith in what they told him. So I asked him if he wanted me to take him to the hospital and he said yes. Let me tell you, if my dad thinks he needs to go to the hospital, I'm worried. He's a typical male (and an old one at that) who never goes to the doctor. So, Meg and I went out and got him and took him to the hospital. What? Oh, yes. He is married. And his wife was home. Don't even get me started on that one.

We spent about 3 hours at the hospital, they did an EKG, which was fine, but they're keeping him overnight to keep tabs on his cardiac enzymes and then he's having a stress test first thing in the morning because he has some cardiac risk factors, he's 74, he's diabetic, he's an ex-smoker, and he has a family history of heart disease (my grandfather died from complications of a heart attack that went untreated for over 8 hours). So, dad is spending the night at the hospital with Meg sleeping in the chair next to him. I can't possibly spend the night in a recliner or I wouldn't be able to move tomorrow. I'm just hoping that everything is okay with his heart and it's just some anxiety and/or depression. But.... It was really hard for me to see my dad in the hospital hooked up to all those stupid monitors. It struck me, again, that my dad is getting old. My dad who I always looked up to as my "superman" is, well, an old man. He totters when he walks sometimes, he has problems with his memory, he's diabetic, old, gray, and looks to me for direction. My superman is human after all. And that makes me sad.