Life

Sometimes I wonder about this life I'm living. It seems there are more downs than ups but a lot in between. I sometimes look up in the sky and see the same old raincloud over my head waiting to drench me. When it does---watch out!

This weekend was a very busy one and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Friday was my normal day off and, as always, I had errands to run. I went to the vet to pick up meds for my brother's dog (we use the same vet). I was watching Maggie last week until today while he was out of town. Afterward, I picked up my friend and her co-worker and we went to Moe's for lunch. I had my usual Closetalker while they had the philly steak 'n cheese burritos. Next time I go there I'm going to get that. It looked good!

Saturday was our Division picnic. My friend picked me up and off we went to Tom Brown Park. There were about 30 of us and we had so much fun. Many of the attendees brought their pups so, at times, it felt more like a dog park. LOL There was live entertainment from one of the fellows who works in my bureau. He and a friend of his have an electric piano and they play guitar and sing mainly, 60s and 70s songs. They aren't the best but I do enjoy listening to them.

After the picnic, we went to Wally World to pick up some things then went to the landfill to get some FREE mulch. You should have seen this girl digging up mulch and throwing it into the bed of the truck. It was pretty funny. Then we came back to my house. Then she dug up some of the bushes that were in the front of my house and got some of the land prepared for new planting. Then off to the showers.

She took a shower first in my bathroom while I was doing whatever (I can't remember--age, ya know). Then it was my turn. I have a garden tub so it's awkward getting in and out of it. As I put my left foot into the tub it started to slip. I grabbed hold of the edge where the porcelain and the tile meet and my right leg started to drag along side of it. Right below my knee is a huge bruise which is now turning a beautiful shade of purple.

We then went to Los Amigos to meet up with her co-worker who was having a birthday. We had a few drinks and ate then back to my house. She continued to prepare the area and quit before it got dark. I was a good director. LOL We decided that she would stay the night so she, I mean we could finish up everything the next day. We watched some cheesy not even B-rated horror movies (once was called Catacombs) then I went to bed.

I tossed and turned and slept like crap. I don't think I had a full hour's sleep and if I did, it was a very light sleep. I hate nights like those! At 5:15 my phone rings. I knew Rory was home so I thought of my father. It wasn't him but my friend, Kathy. A little background on Kathy: she used to date Rory's father back 20 years ago. She & I became instant friends and have been since then. Back to the story...

The first thing she said to me was "Linda, I need you." I asked her what was wrong. "Brian was killed tonight." Brian is her 27-year old son, her only son. I kept saying "What?" over and over again. I couldn't comprehend what she was saying even though I understood everything. She had to hang up and she promised to call me later, which she did.

It seems Brian went to a bar and when it closed, he got on his new motorcycle and, it seems, that he was going too fast in the parking lot. He lost control, hit the ground and rolled into the road. A mack truck ..... I don't think I need to go on since I'm sure you have the visual.

Brian had moved to Tallahassee with Kathy in late 2006 and both of them stayed with Rory & I until Brian moved out a few months later. During that time, he and Rory became very good friends and hung out a lot. Brian was a lifesaver to me when Renegade was so sick this past September. I asked him if he wouldn't mind going to let the dogs out around noon. Renegade was on a high dose of prednisone which makes one drink a lot of water which makes you pee more. Brian said yes in a heartbeat. That's the kind of fellow he was. Kathy is doing okay for now. I'm sure when everything goes back to 'normal' is when everything will hit her. I will definitely be there for her since I know she would be for me.

So yesterday we finished up the garden. We went to Ace and I bought 2 rose bushes, 3 Guara Whirling Butterfly plants, and 4 Portulccas. I can't wait for the plants to start flourishing and growing. They are truly beautiful! My friend did a kick-ass job. She knew I wanted her to help me with the garden. Now that she has taught me what to do, I can do it myself next time. Okay, I am a wimp so maybe I'll help more next time. Remember, I was a good director! LOL

This morning I went to my new dentist. He's a cutie and I really like the place. Unfortunately, I waited an hour for my appointment, which kind of perturbed me some. The tech told me that one of her appointments were very early so she decided to go ahead and tend to them. That kind of pushed her back. I told her that was okay but I was wondering what was going on.

It seems that I need to have a crown put on one of my lower back teeth and that's gonna cost bucks, even with insurance. They are also watching another tooth on the opposite lower side. Nothing needs to be done to it now but probably will in the future. My cleaning date is this Thursday. Gawd, it's not that I hate the dentist, I just hate the scraping sounds when they are cleaning your teeth....yuck! I have a case of wimpititis. ;) Please say prayers for me.

That is it, for now. Life has more downs than ups but a lot in between, as you read in this blog. I just hope next time I'm not so longwinded. That will mean my life is back to boring.

Family

This weekend was a busy one for me. I spent most of it with my family since we were celebrating four events. Yes, you read correctly, four events: my father's birthday (April 13), my brother and sister-in-law's anniversary (April 16), my nephew-in-law's, John, birthday (April 16), and my niece and nephew-in-law's housewarming party which was held yesterday, April 18. Busy!

Friday all the out-of-towners came in and we ate at Longhorn Steakhouse. This is my fave restaurant since they serve the best steaks! I always order the Renegade since it's a perfect size meal. Their desserts are good, too, especially the Chocolate Stampede. It's definitely a chocolate lovers dream come true! YUM! My father and John got vanilla sundaes for their birthdays and even had a song sung to them. All together now: awwwww.

Saturday was my niece's housewarming party. Her in-laws were there as well as her and her husband's friends and my family. Shortly after we got there, John's mother was outside sitting on the porch. John went to get some Pepto because Janet's stomach was bothering her. When John went to give the Pepto to her he found her unresponsive. She was not breathing and no pulse was found. John, who is a cardiac nurse, laid her on the porch and, thankfully, Janet started breathing on her own. To make a long story short, 911 was called, an ambulance and EMS came and whisked Janet to Capital Regional where she still is. She is receiving all sorts of tests and the doctors do know that there was some heart damage. I'm keeping tabs with my niece on how Janet is doing. Please say prayers.

This morning my family, minus John, went to breakfast at Another Broken Egg. The prices are just a tad steep but the food is exceptional. Last time I ate there I had The Castine and it was awesome. This time I had the Fountainbleu and it was very tasty. Here is a peek at the menu. After we ate we talked for a while, mainly about Janet. As my niece was talking about Janet's status, I was looking at this family of three: a mom, her teenage son, and her mom, who just got in from church. When their food arrived, they all joined hands and the young man said a prayer over the food. My heart melted to see that. It's so nice to see families who pray to God thanking Him for the food they are about to receive and seeing the family's cohesiveness. I haven't seen a family do this in a restaurant in a very long time.

After breakfast we said our goodbyes to my brother, sister-in-law and her mother who had joined the weekend festivities. Then we headed to Target to buy some doggy stuff but I ended up not getting anything since the prices were outrageous. After that we went to my brother's house to relax before I took my dad to the airport.

After dropping my father off, my brother's dog, who I am watching this week while Steve is doing out-of-town school activities, went to my house. I flew into the kitchen to start making the sauce for the lasagne I'm making for tomorrow's work luncheon. Professional Administrative Day is Wednesday but the supervisors in my section are making lunch for our staff tomorrow. Like I said, I'm making lasagne and I also am making peaches 'n cream cheesecake bars. I made them for my niece's housewarming and they were a hit. Honestly, they really were good, even if I did make them. LOL

Even though I love my family, it's good to be home and to relax! My laundry is just about done, the lasagne is now out of the oven cooling and I'm about to zone. Maybe I should play some World of Warcraft to relax me more. Naw, I may fall asleep. :P

Ugh

I'm tired. I'm bitchy. I'm mean. I don't life life right now. I want to go to bed but it's too early. I'll be awake by 1am if I go to sleep now. Lots of stuff going through my itty bitty mind. PMS? Maybe. I don't know. I just want my mind to clear and be at 'peace.'

Rory is doing better. Hope the doctor gives the okay for him to go back to work next week. I think he's going stir-crazy at the house. Not sure how he will work with his broken thumb. He is in productions at his work which means he needs both hands and all fingers. I'm sure he'll work it out some way.

Okay, not really in the writing mood. I'll write more this weekend.

P.S. This Sunday on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a local family, the Kadzis, will be featured. Mr. Kadzis had brain cancer and was unable to enjoy the excitement of everything going on. He was admitted to the hospital the day before Ty announced "Good morning, Kadzis Family!" Sad thing, he never saw the house because he died a few days after the family moved in. The show starts at 8pm EST and is 2-hours. You will need kleenex because it really is a very sad story.

It's a better day!

Today is a pretty good day in the household. Rory is feeling much better, not like what the picture is saying! I just asked him if he was in pain and he said that he is more sore than anything. His last pain pill was taken at 4:30 this morning and he took some ibuprofen around 7:30 this morning for a headache. The two combined made him feel better. YAY!

This picture is one that I took yesterday of Rory. He was in pain but had to have his smoke. *sheesh* The dark mark on the right side of his chin is where the stitches are. His eyes are closed because the sun was finally shining bright after all the rain we've been having. One more thing, the items that are on Rory's left, are stuffed animals that my furbabies unstuffed. They got wet from the rain so we dried them by putting them on the fence. LOL

Yesterday we went to the hospital to get his medical records. Wouldn't you know it but they are only open Monday through Friday. Of course. However, we did get a couple of medical release forms just in case we need it.

Tomorrow will bring us a visit to the VA medical center in town so his private physician can take over his care. We need to have his cast checked and the stitches in his chin taken a look at. Not sure what will happen about his neck, but his doctor will advise us on what should be done.

How am I doing as the caretaker? I'm doing pretty good. I know I am not nurse material but I will do anything to help someone I care about. Hands down. And I know that whatever good I do will be returned to me. Okay, not sure if that is true but it's nice to believe in. LOL

Hope everyone has a good day.

The call you dread

I went to sleep as usual around 10 last night. I woke up around 3am to find the lights still on and Rory not home. He will turn them off when he gets home at night. I was falling back to sleep when my phone rang. Oh my God, a call in the middle of the night. Not good. I saw the caller ID said "Tallahassee Mem", as in Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. My heart sank. I answered the phone and, thank God, it was Rory. He sounded weak and tired. As he was coming home around 10 last night, a truck pulled in front of him and Rory ran into it. Rory rides a motorcycle.

Rory sustained a broken thumb on his left hand and his arm is in a cast. He has stitches in his chin and a neck sprain. Many of you probably don't know, but back in the very early 80s Rory broke his neck. Whenever it's cold out or a bad storm system is coming through, his neck will bother him. Now it will be bothering him even more. Poor guy.

I don't know the state of his bike but we do have to get it to the mechanic. Thank goodness the mechanic doesn't live too far from where the accident occurred, so he can get it to his shop with ease. Rory is in pain but he is refusing pain meds. I can't help him there if he won't help himself.

I am thanking God that Rory wears a helmet and he is very careful when riding on his bike. He is alive and that is all that matters. Please say prayers that he is as pain-free as he can be. We really appreciate it.

Before I close, I want to let Heather D. know that I am praying she is feeling better. I follow her blog on blogger and she is such an angel. She and her husband have 5 children, but one passed away a few years ago from cancer. Heather was recently very sick and was in the hospital, but is home now. Heather, if you are reading this, I hope today will bring many smiles and your energy is back up. :)

Big hugs to everyone and have a great day. It's Friday, after all. :)