Lots of medical mumbo-jumbo....

Well we had another busy day today. First I slept until 11:00AM which was a good thing because it felt good but a bad thing because I knew Jennifer was going to send me an email telling me when to come in today. It turns out she had emailed me around 7:30AM to come in right away - the earlier the better. SO - I jumped into some clothes and we got there around 11:40 which wasn't bad at all. Of course we had to wait since she was already running behind and was working me in. The official diagnoses was not a surprise - Phlebitis. She wants me to take Aleve twice a day, apply heat several times a day, walk several times a day and keep my leg elevated above the level of my heart. That is where it gets interesting and at times is a challenge. With Kelly's help, I finally figured out something that will work. Then she started asking me some questions to get a better update on how I've been doing overall. I told her I was pleased with the acupuncture and how often I've been doing it.  Then she started probing a little more and I admitted to her that yes, it was all getting real old. She put her hand on my shoulder and that was all she wrote - I started crying. I immediately I tried to stop but told her I had to admit I have been feeling a little depressed lately. That I have found myself tearing up over nothing lately when I'm alone. I hated it happened because I know it makes Dwight very uncomfortable, partly because he knows I have been trying so hard to fight it. She asked me to please consider going back on the anti-depressant I used during my treatments. She reminded me that I'm still healing and that the length of time I have been so sick would wear on anyone. After talking about the mucous, dry mouth and thrush, she is called in prescriptions for something that is supposed to add moisture to my mouth as well as a rinse to help with the thrush.  If you were to read the information about the rinse for the thrush, you would wonder if you should use it but I promised I would.  At the end of the appointment, she told me to look forward to our week at the coast in November with real anticipation that I would be better by then. I walked around the house ten times this evening and felt quite proud of myself. I listened in to the meeting tonight because my leg was hurting pretty bad and I would have been late by the time I finished walking. Bottom line - I'm now taking more stuff than I was which doesn't make me happy but if these things will speed up my overall recovery, it will be worth it. The potential blood clot was a wake-up call so maybe taking the anti-depressant will help me feel like being more active. And if that rinse will help get rid of the yeast growing on my tongue, it will be worth it too.  Positive thoughts, positive thoughts......

Interesting week so far....

Okay - I've had some deep pain in my calf off and on (mostly on) since Sunday so decided I needed to make sure I had not developed a clot from being inactive for so long. I emailed my nurse practitioner (Jennifer) and she scheduled an ultrasound for this afternoon. We had just come back from my acupuncture appointment so I had to put my clothes back on and head right back out. She told me they were going to work me in and they did so very quickly.

Dwight dropped me off and I was already being seen by the time he parked and came to the radiology department. It was interesting - this is pretty much the position my leg was in while a technician named Sabrina did the ultrasound. She started in the groin area and moved all the way down the inside of the leg.  The good news is the preliminary report says NO CLOT.  I think Jennifer is going to have me come in to the clinic tomorrow to make sure I don't have phlebitis or deep tissue infection. Note to self - "be more active". That is going to be hard to do since being too active brings on more episodes.

I decided to walk around the house yesterday and Dwight joined me. I noticed more leaves are falling  every day.

If you look real close, you can see the pieces of glass that are always in this area of our back yard. Evidently the people who lived her long ago used to burn their trash in a barrel and these  shards are what is left. We have lived here for 37 years and during that time, we tried to have a garden twice.  Dwight has always been amazed by the things he dug up out there. Old bottles and jars. I mean - OLD.

Dwight walked up the little "path" that leads to a cul de sac in the big neighborhood behind our house. We can't see where anyone has used it in a long time. Evidently those people either moved or don't need to catch the bus across the road from our house anymore.

We have no idea what kind of plant this is - what the pods are - what the long strips of woody material are from. It is a mystery. It is a climbing plant of some kind.  I wish GiGi was here - she would be able to tell me. My mother would have been able to also.

This is the first time I've noticed the back of the house since they took the old oil drum away. It looks kind of bare doesn't it? As we were walking past the new HVAC unit on the side of the house, I was thinking about how happy we have been since we bought the new system and switched to natural gas. It is not only cleaner and quieter - it is much cheaper!

I pulled out the next album I'm planning to scan pictures from. It is the album Roseanne bought me to highlight the pictures we took from our grand adventure that took us to Maryland, DC, New York, England, France, Virginia and back home in the summer of 2001.

Lee had called to get our mailing address and this week I found out why. He had this lovely card made up with a picture of his beautiful Mom, Ennis. I know, she looks like a movie star doesn't she? Her recovery has been so slow. I wish there was more Dwight and I could do. I can't even help sit with her and that makes me sad. Dwight keeps promising me he is going to take me to see her again. I think we need to call first to make sure she will be in her room (and not our and about or getting PT) so it doesn't end up like the last time we tried to see her.

Gigi's daughter brought us these flowers. She said they were old and messy but I think they are beautiful. I will keep them as long as there is color. The funny thing is I had just been thinking I might call and order some flowers. I have always bought flowers on a regular basis - from the grocery store if no where else. I love fresh flowers. They make my day better in every way.

I will close today's post with a picture Jessie sent me of Page in her new outfit. She looks like she should be sitting at a small cafe along the River Seine in Paris doesn't she? Maybe one day. So pretty soon I will be putting some older pictures on here. I'll try not to put too many. I am really enjoying looking at the older pictures again. Kim was going to come over and do my toes tonight but time got away from her. She has such a busy schedule and I hate to ask her but Dwight has made it perfectly clear that he isn't going to do it for me. I am almost tripping over my stupid toenails they have gotten so long. Just kidding.

First day of school for many local friend's...

Today was the first day of school for many of our local friend's children so I was getting text messages with pictures all morning and afternoon.

Our big "Boy" started first grade. His Mom was very proud of him. He has also adopted a new name - "Coyote Boy".  Pretty cool.....

His little cousin down the road started Kindergarten.  She told her Mom and Dad she did not want them to walk her to her classroom because she knew where it was. Of course that made her Mom's teary feelings worse. The sun was shining too bright in her face bless her heart.

Here are the twins! Aren't they the cutest things? So different and yet  .....

KK started middle school also. I love how protective she is of her sweet little brother Liam.  It was his first day of school also.

Linda wrote, "1st day went well. All love their teachers, even Abi!!"  Barbara's grandson Michael will be in the 8th grade this year. Oh my goodness - his poor Mom is having a hard time.  I am still having a hard time with Page going to middle school so I can definitely relate. Whew - I just got the past three days caught up.  I cancelled my acupuncture appointment for today.  I feel bad about cancelling again since I cancelled one last Monday. Hopefully I will start feeling a little better if the Tussein starts to work.  Dwight went down to Gigi's to help Pam and Leif move some stuff this weekend. He brought home a box of older pictures and today we scanned the ones we wanted. He said there are more so hopefully he will bring some back when he returns these. I'll share them as we go along.   

Yesterday.....

I started taking Tussein again yesterday - just two small doses a day to see if getting rid of some of this mucous will help me stop getting so sick every day. I am tired of feeling so bad all the time. Debbie came by before the meeting to pick up the pimento cheese Dwight had bought her.  She was looking forward to taking it home to snack on. She also wanted to let me know she would not be able to go to the coast any time soon.  I certainly understand.  She will celebrate her 25th year of pioneering at the end of this month.  She has been such a good example to so many but especially to me.  I listened in to the meeting and enjoyed Dwight's talk. He really is an good speaker. The WT study was excellent. I used the WT I had downloaded and studied really well. I'm going to start doing it that way awhile.  After I  mark it, I can send it to my Kindle which I will take to the meetings. It will cut down on how many books I have to take to the meetings which will be a big help for me.

I had let Toni know I had two Saree's that were given to me by a former BS of Vera's. She had even showed me how to wrap them. I found a site on-line that shows many different ways to wear them and shared that with Toni too. The one above is the more formal of the two and is big enough to wrap in many exotic ways. I find it to be heavy so would probably only wear it in cooler weather.

I love the vibrant color of this one and it is much lighter. The fabric is very nice and the color looks great on Toni.

I also gave her this poncho. I either bought it from a shop in Chapel Hill that sold cool items from countries like Peru or my ex-boss brought it to me from one of her trips overseas when she bought her own. Either way, I have only worn it several times and feel Toni will get more use out of it.

Clay and Dwight got caught up with their fishing stories and at my request, he went back and looked at the tile around my tub. I was going to see if he would remove and re-do it but he and said it could be fixed so that it will look much better. He doesn't really do tile work anymore and has started his own business so I hope he will be able to find the time. He said he might could do it on Wednesday.  As I was writing this and looking at the pictures, I remembered that I was the coordinator for their wedding.  It rained that day and we had some mishaps in the dressing room but everything worked out beautifully and the reception was very nice.  At the end of they day - they were "hitched".

This past Saturday

I had some wonderful company this past Saturday. Lin, Randy and the kids all came to see me and BigD. Randy worked on my Kindle Fire while Lin shared with me some pictures they took last week at the beach when she and the kids took her Mom down for a little R&R.

Abi brought me more shells for my little collection. So thoughtful of her. I can't believe how tall she has gotten. The other two pictures were taken in Beaufort, another of our favorite places when we go down East.

Lin insisted on getting a picture of us even though I look so bad. How can I refuse anything this sweet young woman asks?

Drew decided to swing a little in Page's old swing. We put that thing up when Page was just a baby, adding the seat that is on there now when she got old enough to hold onto the rope. I need to get BigD to check and see if the ropes will hold much longer as I would hate for one of the kids to get hurt if they are old and rotten and might break.

I'll close with a picture they took of a "perfect" rainbow. I love rainbows....don't you?

Up....and.....down.....

Yeah - today has been an up and down day. Was up when Roseanne came over for our study, was down when I got real sick out of the blue, was up when my FREE Kindle Fire arrived in the mail

I was so excited when Page helped me realize I needed to use all the earned points from my old credit card. I rarely use this credit card anymore but had made a few significant purchases a few years ago. Added to how much I used to use it when I was working, I have enough points to pay for the Kindle Fire. I charged it with this credit card (to rack up more points) and will start using it again for the points you can earn. I have been using only my bank check card for years but she helped me realize if I use this one, I will be able to get gift cards for various major stores to use as I go along. My smart girl. I had not even registered it when it came this year.  I found that out when I tried to use it with my acupuncture appointment yesterday.  I called and registered and it is good to go. 

Was down because I realized I needed to listen in for the meeting. Was up because I CAN listen in to the meeting. Then was down---not sure what is going on, but as soon as the meeting was over, BigD gave me my pills and milk of magnesia which I immediately threw up. What in the world? I'll wait and see how I am tomorrow but if I keep going like this, I may call my nurse practitioner to see what she thinks, No - I didn't take the picture above with my camera - I used my telephone so that is why it is blurry. :)  I'm up a little because Lin said they might come by Saturday because Abs has a shell for me from the coast and then Randy called just a minute ago to make sure it was okay for them to come after service on Saturday and he will help me with my KF!  Excited! Hope to go to sleep soon which will be an UP!!!

Getting back into a routine.....

SO happy Roseanne was able to come over for our Family Study today. It has been too long since I've seen her. She has started her treatments and so far, so good.

I showed her my new camera and she pointed out that I wasn't using the flash correctly. Since she knows more about cameras than I do, I have to listen to her. She noticed the flash didn't go off and I said, 'that means it doesn't need it doesn't it'? Of course, that isn't what it means but I think the picture above looks good. She laughed because it shows on the window the words, "pull up flash". Duh

So this one was made with the flash. It looks good too but I still think the first one looks as good. I know - I'm stubborn.  I found out Kadee is going to be coming down to work from here for awhile so I'm looking forward to her coming with Roseanne one day while she is here. I also gave Roseanne the light switch cover I ordered - it wasn't the right one but I love it and she does too.

This is the one I got - the problem is, I thought I had ordered the one below

with two slots for my bathroom switch. Oh well, maybe I will order this one if they still have it available. I still like it.

This is one of the little cats from next door. She was visiting Miya through the glass door until I leaned forward to get a picture. As soon as I walked toward the door, she was gone.

I shared this picture of little Charli with her Gma Judy. I think they look a lot alike. I got a message asking me how I got the picture and when I told her I pulled it from the "other Gma's Facebook page", I got another message saying she thought it was time she learned how to do Facebook. Nothing like pictures of children and grandchildren to keep us old ladies on FB. Judy has been quite sick lately but hopefully is on the mend now. She is supposed to start regular pioneering next month so I'm going to talk with her some about how best to utilize her "time". I'm not sure exactly what is going on with me but I had a real bad episode not long after Roseanne got here. It wasn't because I was being super active - I was just sitting and we were talking. I noticed I only threw up from the right side of my throat so I'm not sure what that means. We also talked about how we were both blessed by having a "rare" cancer. Of course we were - since we are two 'rare birds' already. Oh well - it is what it is.

First day of middle school.....

So today was the long awaited first day of middle school for Page. I should say long awaited but by me, long dreaded first day of middle school.

Jessie told us Page had outgrown all of her clothes from last year and this was a first. I noticed in some of her pictures from the beach that her face was a little fuller and remembered that I had a growth spurt around the same age. I got plumper and then grew to my full height over the next year.

Jessie sent us a picture this morning with the caption - "Page - first day of 6th grade". She was on my mind all day long so I sent her a text message when I knew she would be home with her Papa. Her answer was, "First day of school did not go that well. I love you." Bless her heart. It started with her getting on the right bus but at the wrong time. Evidently, the bus picks up elementary school students first and then comes back around and picks up the middle school children. Honest mistake. Then she was trying to get her book for her homework assignment from the locker when the last bell rang. The bus driver had told the students this morning that if they were late to the bus, they would be left at school so she grabbed the wrong book for her homework assignment. I'm sure she will settle in eventually but going from a small community school to a large school and seven classes is a big change. I told Dwight that if I had the money, I would put her in a small private school. He laughed but I wasn't kidding. I do like her new hair cut but don't you think she looks a little too grown up?  I know - I'm in major denial.  

Dwight and I are enjoying our new ladybug Jessie bought us. We found another one behind the car seat and it turns out it is Page's. So we are putting that one up beside ours until we see them again. One is red and the other one is green. So cute.

Not very clear but the best I could do with my phone. I wore my earrings I bought last year and the new ring I bought this year that matches them to my acupuncture appointment this morning. Janet was very impressed with what she called my "bling". I was very happy to get back with her and already feel better since my treatment. My neck was getting very tight again so she spent some extra time needling certain areas.  Debbie and Ruby came today and I gave Debbie the earrings Kelly had made for her. She liked them.  It was nice to visit with them for a little while after they dusted, scrubbed the bathroom, cleaned the floors and made up the back bedroom. Debbie was impressed by how much de-cluttering I have done so far.  I still have a long way to go but it already feels better.

Linda sent me a picture of the kids at Yana's in Swansboro. She put a message saying they had ordered the peach fritters! I told her to order the cherry coke too. Yum. I hope her Mom is having fun. I'm sure she is enjoying being with Linda and the children.

I also received this great family picture from Marie at the coast. I know she enjoyed not only having her Mom and Dad but also her brother, sister and their mates with them.

I snatched this beautiful picture of Marie from FB that was taken of her at the District Convention in Raleigh. Another thing I missed by not being there. We all miss her and her family.

I sent Marie this picture to show her what a completed piece of the quilt I gave her will look like. I knew I would never be able to make it so I wanted to give it to someone I knew could. She will do an excellent job on it if she can ever find time in her busy, busy schedule to do it. It will be something she can remember me by when it is completed. :)

I was disappointed that I forgot to bring Randi's address with me the day we went to Beaufort at the beach. I knew she and her hubby weren't in town but I just wanted to see where they lived in Morehead so I Googled it today. It is the cutest little white cottage located about two blocks from the water.  She was with her baby sister last week.  They were looking for wedding dresses for the upcoming wedding next summer. Marcy wants to have a wedding similar to Randi's so I know it will be lovely. Was it really just a little over two years ago that they got married?  From everything I've heard, they are doing well.

I've mentioned how my boss at Elite met me when I was working in Personnel with TRW right after we started laying people off. She stayed in touch with me and kept trying to get me to come in and apply with her new agency after I was laid off. I finally gave in and sure enough, she placed me with a relatively new company in Chapel Hill. I am so glad I'm not the person I was then. I have learned over the past few years how to say no to things I know I don't want to do. The man above, Ray, was a new hire (VP) and I was hired to be his assistant and the Personnel Director. When you look at the personnel files and there are two drawers full of previous employees, one half of a drawer of existing employees and a locked file with law suits from previous employees - there is a serious problem. Sadly, the company grew rapidly and the owner turned out to be a total flake who was in over his head. I left in exactly three months (which meant my future boss didn't have to refund the money she received for my placement) and Ray left not too long after that.

Before that, I referred Jackie to work for Ray in accounting and one day he took us to lunch at a Chinese restaurant. He ordered hot and sour soup and made it look so good that we went back the next day and tried it. It became our favorite soup. The company folded within a year or so and it was sad because it could have been a great company. Ray was a wonderful person. He contacted me a few years ago from PA to touch base and to see how Jackie and I were doing.

I will close this lengthy post with a picture of my cousin Alan. His Mom was two years older than my Mom and we used to visit them often. He is younger than I am and recently retired. I need to get his email address and try to stay in touch with him better than I do.

Atlantic Beach - Day 7 and..

"I’m so glad we had this time together, Just to have a laugh or sing a song. Seems we just get started and before you know it, Comes the time we have to say “so long.” And so it comes to the end of our vacation together.

Guess when you run out of clean clothes, that is a clue? Not really - just getting everything ready to go in bags in case it rains. We put most of the luggage in the back of Dwight's truck.

Uh oh - they are packing. That means I have to get back in my cage! NO!! Kelly, Douglas, Jessie and Page went to the beach earlier for one last swim. The ocean had been so nice the day before but was very rough their last time down. They still had fun. Kelly got her shower, finished packing and made

sure she didn't leave before getting her diamond earrings. She had put them in my ears so she wouldn't lose them in the ocean earlier in the week. Drat - I thought she might just accidentally forget them! 

Dwight has a policy of leaving anywhere he stays in better shape than he found it so he scrubbed the stove top (making sure to clean under all the eyes) and sinks/counter tops until they were sparkly clean. The cleaning lady had a pretty easy job after we left. Kelly got on the road around 1:30pm.

Douglas looks good - his leg still hurts but it does look a little better. He let it air out a little before applying ointment and bandaging it again. The antibiotics have been tough on him. We took our time (since we weren't due to leave until Sunday), pulled everything together and got on the road later in the afternoon.  Jessie and I decided to stop for Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

We changed the GPS and were pleasantly surprised to find the Hot sign on. We ended up getting a dozen of the "hot" regulars, then four chocolate iced cream filled, four chocolate iced custard filled, and four chocolate

iced glazed. My favorite are the chocolate iced glazed. And -Yes - I tried some. I could handle the chocolate icing pretty good but the doughnut themselves were like everything else I've tried - glue. Then we checked with the guys and stopped by CookOut to pick up dinner for them. What better way to end a vacation? Oh - I know - we finally got that phone call letting us know Kelly had arrived home safe and sound after eight plus hours on the highway. Sadly, I got pretty sick right before we went to bed.  Not sure if it was all the activity of the day or the chocolate.  Either way, I was a little bummed.  Everyone slept in today and then we were very lazy, watching several old movies on TV. Since we woke up to pouring rain, it was easy to do.

Hiro laid claim to one of Miya's perches but she didn't mind - she had her own favorite perch.

Miya is such a sweetie. I woke up several times and she was sound asleep on my lap. Ahhh - back on her own home turf. I love seeing them together - just like I love seeing all my kids together with me and Dwight. I think that good feeling is called - family. Eventually, it stopped raining so they decided it was time to go. Douglas stripped the bed in the back room before they took off. I've already run two loads of clothes. There are many more to run between clothes, sheets, blankets, towels and beach towels.  We still have bags of stuff on the porch but I will deal with that tomorrow because - after all - tomorrow is another day.