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Saturday, May 31, 2008

Tough week

This has been a tough week for my family. My step dad went into the hospital last Friday- totally unexpected. After many tests, his lab work revealed he was very anemic. Dangerously low. And so he wound up with 5 units of blood and fluids and a long week stay in the hospital. After two types of endoscopy, and echo test for his heart, and barium chest-xrays, he was found to have a mass inside a colon. They thought it the size of a golfball. He had a biopsy done with the endoscopy, but his surgery was scheduled for Saturday morning and we, by the time he went to the operating room, were still waiting results from the pathologist.

The good news is that he endured the surgery with flying colors. His heart remained strong, considering that he is almost 85 years old. He didn't need any extra blood and they were able to remove the mass (actually a baseball size) by laparoscopy, which means he didn't need a big incision to get it out. That's a good thing.

Hopefully, he will recover well too, but it means he will be in the hospital for another week.

Thus went our vacation last week. I don't know how we'll handle the next. Honestly, we've seen more of our hospital that we both work at (hubby and I) than we cared to, but we had to be there for my stepdad and for my mom, who appreciated our support.

Our 2nd anniversary came and went without even sharing the day together. We were on different shifts taking care of my stepdad. My husband has been a pillar of strength, for me, my mom, and for my elderly stepdad. I sure do appreciate him for everything he's done without even asking. But in spite of this, for years to come, I'm sure we'll talk about the anniversary that never was. LOL..

The good news is that my eldest daughter decided to come down for two weeks and is on the road from Denver as we speak She wanted to see us, her grandpa and grandma, and help out as best as she can. it will be good to see her and we'll try to spend some ample time together considering my vacation is suppose to be over. Come Monday, I'm suppose to be back to the office, but maybe I can squeeze an extra pto day from my boss. Considering the way my week has gone, maybe he'll be ok with it- one can only hope.

Friday, May 30, 2008

A very bad week

This Memorial Day weekend was difficult for my family. My stepdad went into the hospital on Friday. He had seen the doctor earlier in the day and had labwork drawn. The doctor called my mom three hours later and said that he should go into the hospital immediaetely, that his blood was really low. He had five units of blood put back into him in a 24 hour period! He must have a slow bleed somewhere, but they don't know where, and because it was a holiday weekend, there were limited tests they could do. Now it's Tuesday and they will do some type of scope (endo or thru the mouth) today, so they can figure out what's wrong to fix it. Who knows.

But me and my husband were suppose to be on vacation this week and we've done nothing except go back and forth to the hospital! Sucks! I've stayed a couple of nights and then my son and then my mother. Then back to my hubby again. we just all rotated for a daytime/night time shift. We had too as my stepdad was confused and wanted to leave the hospital. A couple times he pulled out the iv giving blood. What a mess! They did all kinds of tests on him so far.

His own son had been here on Friday but left for San Antonio. He didn't stop by on Saturday on his way back to the panhandle. He went a Different direction .His daughter and her family came late Saturday night and was gone on Sunday around 1:00. His other son JR can't come down because he has diabetes really bad and can't drive. So really it's been me and my hubby helping my mom.

So I'm extremely tired. I'd rather be fishing! We did find out late this afternoon that they plan surgery for next Monday to get a mass out of his colon. When he has the surgery, he'll be in the hospital another week. So please forgive me if I do not sign on here for awhile. I'll just be busy being a caretaker for my stepdad.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Vacation and a safe Memorial Day Weekend

I'm on vacation, finally, but with the cost of gas rising and the fact that I'm one of the many Americans still waiting on that stimulus rebate check, guess it's best to stick close to home. I take a vacation this time of year to also celebrate my anniversary of now two years. Lots of people are taking a long three day weekend because of Memorial Day.

What's on my list to do so far? Well, let's take a quick peek:



* Catch up on laundry from my son's messy room.
* FORCE my son to get that room cleaned up!! It looks worse than what struck in China.
* Clean up backyard shed.
* Clean up garage
* Place left over stuff from garage into backyard shed (Oh, joy!)
* Take my elderly step-dad to see a doctor for recent ailments. He hates going, but he finally conceded to get a check up. I'm assigned to help get him there. A daughterly duty- so I must,I must.
* Dig up a small place for new plants/flowers to spruce up the yard. Landscaping on a very tiny scale.
* Paint up mom's dull kitchen. It needs something bright!
* Go the lake: sit in the sun or fish. I can't wait!! I love to fish! There''s also a fishing spot in Troy we might try out too.
* Drive to San Antonio, hubby and I. Do a walk about on the river walk. Margarita anyone?

Well that's the ideas so far. What is your agenda for the weekend? Why not share them with me. Just remember, whatever you do, be safe in your activities, while boating, camping, fishing, mowing the lawn, or even just driving around your area. Don't drink and drive. If you do drink, let someone else be the designated driver.

Through data, about the kinds of accidents people get into daily, is how you get these commercials that list statistics about accidents, like how many roll-overs or fender-benders occur over a given holiday. The biggest factors for injuries are lack of attention, fatigue, drinking/drugs, and careless driving speeds. So pay attention so you don't get hurt or God forbid: fatally hurt someone else just out enjoying their weekend, or for people like me, on vacation.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Going to Lousianna this weekend

I am running away this weekend. Well, only in my mind. In reality there will be a charter bus that will haul myself and a few excited co-workers to a gamblng casino in Louisiana. We've all been talking about "doing it" for a few months, but we had to get Christmas out of the way, and file for our tax returns, and since Uncle Sam is giving some of us a stimulus package rebate early, we decided that now the timing might be right to go. So they got a sign up list together, and of course, I was one of the first to say "put my name down". I love casinos, all the machines lighting up brighter than Christmas bulbs and blinking merrily, making all those fantastic buzzes, whistles, and bells as money goes in, comes out. The moment I step into the place, it makes my stomach get all giddy inside like I'm in line for a wild carnival ride.

My 26 year old daughter, Tracy, has never been to a gambling casino, and I invited her to come with me, but then something came up with her schedule with her kids and she had to back out. That was such a disapointment to her and to me, but hopefully there will be another occasion to invite her. Next, I asked my mom, who loves hitting the slot machines, the same as I do. But with her high blood pressure, she gets afraid to go anywhere far from the hospital. She fears she might have an "episode" of feeling dizzy or weak. She's almost 80, so I guess it's ok to feel cautious about that sort of thing. Heck, I'm only 48 and there are lots of times in the morning when I complain about all the aches, stiffness, and pains in my joints. She had warned me about this some time ago, so I guess getting weaker is just part of the aging process. I better take excursions while I am still young enough to get around and enjoy them. So Lousianna- here I come!

I did ask my hubby too, but there was a chance for overtime at work, so he didn't want to commit himself. "You go honey. Have fun with the girls. I'll make sure you have some dollars to spend." Well, alrighty then! And I gladly took a $100 bill he offered this week, something we had left after being responsible enough to pay our bills and buy groceries first. I never take a whopping amount of money to these places. I feel I have to be comfortable with losing that amount of money, and I think anything more than $150 is a lot, especially now days when gas is up, groceries is up, and things are just tight all over the place.

So I will be frugal while I'm out with my friends and having a good time near Bosier City/ Shreveport, sittin at the slot machines (Ka-ching, Ka-ching!). The point being, is that I will be out of the house. I think it's always a good thing to go somewhere on your own once in awhile. It will be like an adventure. So wish me luck, but I'll be happy if I can just sit there at a penny slot machine and play the same $20 for a couple of hours, losing/winning- over and over again- and then coming home with at least enough to buy my supper at a Whatburger when we stop halfway home.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Book is finally available

I happened to look on the Authorhouse Bookstore this morning and saw that my book is finally available for purchase. At last! I added the link to go directly to the bookstore in the interesting links section here. I hope that those who do buy the book will be quite pleased, but I do look foward to your comments after reading on your thoughts overall. Just keep in mind that I strived to tell an interesting story and by no means am I the next Daniele Steel or Nora Roberts, but the characters are interesting and the romance unique. I think it will be a fresh perspective to an over done boy-meets-girl, loses-girl, gets girl back and then they all lived happily ever after. Life is unpredictable.. and so we'll leave it at that on how my book ends. Happy reading.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

On Mother's Day

On Sunday, lots of families will get together to celebrate "moms", as is appropriate since it's Mother's Day, a national holiday. For some, like me, it will be just another day of the week, for being "MOM."

My kids are always into activities and this weekend is no exception. Kayla, my youngest, wanted to work at a local swim park for the summer, so she begged and begged to take a lifeguard certification class, which falls this particular weekend, beginning on Friday night, and lasting all day Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 to 5:00. My city's recreation services offered it at a cost of $199. Yawza! But my sixteen year old already had dreams on how to spend the money she would make, perhaps sinking some of it into a bank account; buy a few favorite things, like books, CD's, or jewelry. All typical things that teens dream about doing with the money they make from their first job. Then she hit me with a real heart zinger for why she wanted to do the class and work this summer: Maybe she could earn enough money to help Grandma with her car payment! How could I tell her No?

In truth, I was impressed by her desire to do this. My mom had recently traded up into a newer vehicle, one that had air condition, as her old car's cooling system went kaput. In Texas summertime, it gets really hot down here and at her age of 79, heat can be quite a danger, but now the cost of having a newer car had a toll too. On a fixed income, she had to budget her expenses to make her car payment and the cost of full coverage insurance. My daughter had heard her complaints and wanted to help. So I paid for her class and agreed to be mama taxi on this special weekend, willing to tote her back and forth to class. It's something I'm use to doing at any rate.

The most I expect to occur is for my daughter to contribute a few dollars towards Grandma's bingo night, not a real significant amount towards a big car payment. However I'm sure that the money she does give will be most appreciated by my special mom. To me, there's no greater reward than watching one generation relate to another. That's a sign of devotion, love and respect. My daughters present to her grandmother is a gift of the heart and in turn, ends up being a special gift to me too that will live on in my memories.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there-whether you celebrate at home, in a restaurant, at church, or just being a taxi mom carting your kids to where they need to go. Isn't being a mom just an extraordinary thing? God Bless.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Let's talk about "Sex"



Usually I don't get very excited about visiting the movie theaters these days. My butt tends to fall asleep in those aisle seats no matter how cushy they can be constructed. So for me to endure a 2 to 2 1/2 hour movie would surely get my hiney to feeling numb. Even worse is that most great movies run longer, like about 3 hours or so. I guess they make them that way so you can get your money's worth- if you're lucky and the movie is worth seeing.

Yesterday I happened to tune into the last 20 minutes of Oprah, and low and behold, they had the ensemble cast of Sex and The City on stage. I had to watch as they conversed about their personal lives and about the movie. What can I say? I am a fan- a HUGE Fan, and the movie is coming out at the end of this month! Yippee!

This movie is something that a lot of people, including myself, will line up to see. First of all, considering their movie trailer, they hint that something may go awry in the wedding we die hard fans have all waited for since Season Six came to a finale- the nuptials of Carrie and Mr. Big!

The actor, Chris Noth, is an exceptionally handsome man and he plays this part with such pinasche! (did I spell that right?) Anyways, he is flirtatious, kind, and sexy. He comes with his own set of flaws- but they are ones that Carrie usually forgives- unless he is stalling her about commitment. When he rescued her in Paris at the end of Season Six, I was jumping up and down and whooping in my living room-so happy that he finally went after his girl. Ah, it's the stuff that all of us women dream of, a guy that really, really needs his woman!

I will be on vacation the week this movie comes out, but I will make it a point to have a girls night out to see this flick. Perhaps my hubby may or may not come along-as some men may think it's a "chick flick"- but it's just that my guy just likes action/adventure/sci fi kind of stuff. At home, there's been lots of occasions where he's hovered in the back ground as I put on my favorite episodes on the DVD player. He's never been afraid to sit there and comment about what took place.

Anyways, when I do get to watch the movie, I'm sure late that night, he will delight that I am charged up with creative energy from watching the delightfully sexy scenes that are surely to be shown on the big screen. The cast, the actions, the story is- in my opinion- a natural aphrodisiac for the fans.

In fact, when I finally caught onto the HBO smash back in season two, it opened up my eyes to alot of things about Sex. Wow! What I experienced in my wild child days or even in the inbetween dating periods between marriages (after divorces), wasn't so different after all from any other woman whose been with men! What a concept!

I did think one crucial thing after totally absorbing a full season. I suddenly didn't want to be Charlotte anymore (the inner, bashful me), or Carrie (the fun, loyal gal pal for my friends), or Miranda, (wanting to be a leader of what's going on at work). No- I wanted to be Samantha! RRRRRRR.





What a woman! A bold Woman! Not ever afraid to show a man what she wanted from him, or tell him how to do it. Beautiful, sassy, sexy and very willing to expose her sexuality. Yes, I wanted to be exactly like Samantha- but granted the situation that I lived-foremost a mommy and a member of a public community- I couldn't just go out there and blatently do things like she did, so I had to go into the closet - so to speak- and enjoy my own fantasy and experimentation in very private settings.

Granted, I may not ever-in a million years-look like her, but when I became single again from divorce, I had time to discover the inner Samantha, before marrying and taming down in Charlotte again. Let's just say that my current husband does see that tigress come out to play on occasion. Sorry- that may be TMI (too much info) for my kids that do read this. (giggle)

Perhaps you can compare a picture of Samantha to pictures taken in 1981 and tell me what you think? I was single then. Do you see a smidgen of Samantha come out to play? It's probably the only time I will ever publicly display one of my "sassy" pictures- so get it in now while you can.




Me:



Cheers to all of my sassy friends: