I was watching Oprah's Life Class last night and she happened to describe me perfectly. She was saying that there are those that do, do, do, and never get in return and eventually the ones that do, do, do start to think "what about me?". Those people start to wonder..."I am doing this, but, I'm not going to get anything in return." So, these people start to do things begrudgingly. They will do them and not let the other person know that they are aggravated, irritated and downright resentful of what is happening in their friendship. These are the people that are frequently used in friendships until they are just simply used up. Oprah said "Sometimes, you have to divorce your friends." I have to say that I agree with her 100%. I have recently gone through a friendship "divorce". It is hard, it is uncomfortable, it is painful, but, it is worth it. I have felt more freedom, more peace, more comfort and more truth through this process than anyone can really believe. I had been used. I had been the one to listen, to lend a hand, advice, comfort and love. I was never heard. I was never advised. I was constantly the one giving. Oprah went on to say that there is a point where you either say "Yes, I will do this with a happy heart and not begrudgingly." OR "No, I am not able to do this for you anymore." Although the decision was not mine to "divorce" my friend, it turns out that it was the best decision she has ever made for me. For that, I would like to thank her. She has freed me, and she has shown me what true friendship is about, and it is NOT what we had. It was a one sided relationship where she was in need and I was the "fixer".
Now, my question to you is this: Are YOU taking up for yourself? Are YOU making sure your friendships are balanced and that you are happy helping and getting help in return? Balance is the key. I know I have found balance. Have YOU?
Love to you,
~Lou~
Friday, November 11, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Update and Thanks
Well, life has slowed down somewhat. We have almost finished doing all we need to do for my Grandmother since Poppie passed. (Don't get me wrong, we will NEVER be finished, but the major items that have needed to be accomplished have almost all been completed.) It still seems so surreal to me. As a matter of fact, last night I closed my eyes to go to sleep and saw my Mom and Grandmother in the room with him after he passed. I am still quite haunted by the events of that night. My days and nights are normal with flashes of the hospital, my family, my own feelings. This whole grieving thing is much harder than I ever imagined. Friday will mark 1 calendar month. Today marks 4 weeks ago that he went to the hospital, 12:30 AM will mark 4 weeks that he has been gone.
So, amid all of our crazy days and long nights, I have managed to contract the nastiest cold I have ever had in my life. I feel like I have the flu. It's rough. However, Theraflu has become my new best friend. I believe in nothing less than a good bottle of Theraflu to lull my body and mind into a sweet slumber.
Other than that, not much has been going on. Other than finding through this journey who my real friends are. I have realized that I have wonderful friends and family that will be there to support and love me. People who really, truly care about ME. I have learned through this one experience that true friends want to help you, they want to be there for you, they want to listen to you and help you through your pain and sorrow. I've finally seen that friendships are not all about ME listening and being there and helping. It is a true TWO WAY STREET!
To YOU, my friends and family....THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME! Thank you for supporting me and being there for anything I need at any time.
Love to you all
~Lou~
So, amid all of our crazy days and long nights, I have managed to contract the nastiest cold I have ever had in my life. I feel like I have the flu. It's rough. However, Theraflu has become my new best friend. I believe in nothing less than a good bottle of Theraflu to lull my body and mind into a sweet slumber.
Other than that, not much has been going on. Other than finding through this journey who my real friends are. I have realized that I have wonderful friends and family that will be there to support and love me. People who really, truly care about ME. I have learned through this one experience that true friends want to help you, they want to be there for you, they want to listen to you and help you through your pain and sorrow. I've finally seen that friendships are not all about ME listening and being there and helping. It is a true TWO WAY STREET!
To YOU, my friends and family....THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME! Thank you for supporting me and being there for anything I need at any time.
Love to you all
~Lou~
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
One Day At A Time
This is what I keep telling myself...One Day At A Time Lou, you can do this. Just take it one day at a time, one step at a time and one breath at a time. So far, so good. I am cautiously optimistic that things are starting to fall into place. Everything is coming together, slowly, but surely. After we get over the hurdles in our way, I will be moving on to working on myself. I have enrolled in Oprah's LifeClass. Monday was the first session. I really enjoyed it and I am thinking this could be a great thing for me. We shall see where it leads. I will blog later to fill you in on the memorial celebration that we held for Poppie on Saturday. For now, I am tired. I am resting for the night.
~Lou~
~Lou~
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Not The Happiest Of Blogs
I'm not even sure I know how to start this blog post. I guess I will just jump in.
If you have been following my blog and reading it, you know that my Grandfather (Pop or Poppie {I may refer to him as both, so, please don't be confused}) was admitted to the hospital for a pulmonary embolism on Tuesday, September 27, 2011. My Sister and Mom left the hospital around 9:30 that night and all was well. Pop was laughing and joking around. Everyone thought he would be just fine. I went to bed at about 10:30, maybe 11. At 12:28 on Wednesday morning my phone rang. It was my Dad. He told me that the hospital called and that Pop was not doing well. He had stopped breathing, had to be put on a ventilator and that he was completely unresponsive. As soon as I got off the phone I immediately got dressed and told DH that I was headed to the hospital because Pop was not doing well, it was exactly 12:30 AM. At 12:32 AM I was headed out the door and getting in my van. (Why I remember exact times is beyond me. But they are burned in my memory forever now.) As I drove the dark, empty streets I could see lightning over in the direction of the hospital. I prayed "Poppie, hang on, I'm coming." But, I knew better, I knew with every flash of lighting it was not good and that my Pop was gone. I arrived at the hospital at 12:46 AM. No one was there. I called my sister and she said that she and my brother in law were pulling in. So, I waited for them. I didn't want to go in alone. My sister and I all but ran into the hospital both saying we didn't like being the first ones there. After having to wait for the snail speed security guy to scan our id's, take our picture, do facial recognition and print our badges, we finally got on our way up to Poppie. I looked at my badge and my sister's, we had different letters, her's said 3A, mine said 3B.....something was NOT right. We got to the floor walked past a station full of nurses, past another smaller station with one nurse and arrived at his room. It was empty. EMPTY. No sheets, no sign of anyone having been in the room. The bed was in an upright position completely bare. My sister and I stood there for what seemed like an eternity just staring. I walked around the corner and looked at the nurse and trying not to cry said "Where is my Grandfather?" She asked who my Grandfather was and I couldn't speak. Nothing would come out of my mouth. All my sister could say was his room number "337". She got up and said "come with me". We walked around to the large nurses station and she spoke with a woman in a white coat. She shook our hands and introduced herself, but, I couldn't tell you her name. She said that he had been moved to ICU just around the corner and that she would take us back there. She got on her phone and I was on her heels and I heard her say "The family is here. They didn't get stopped. They made it to his room." We got into ICU and a doctor was waiting for us in the hallway. He shook our hands and told us who he was, again, I can't remember that. He said he was going to take us around the corner to talk to us. We knew. We knew what had happened. We just didn't want to believe it and I think we needed to hear someone say it. The doctor asked us if we knew what he had been admitted for, and we said, yes, a pulmonary embolism. He said yes, that is what caused him to be admitted. He then started talking and I know he said that it was a miracle that we had gotten him to the hospital at all because most people don't make it to the hospital. He then said that his embolism was massive and that unfortunately, he didn't make it. All I could say was "OH JESUS!" My brother in law (bless his soul) was trying to comfort the 2 of us. The doctor said how very sorry he was and asked if there was anything he could do to help us or if we had any questions he would answer them the best he could. I immediately asked if there was something we could have done to prevent it, and he said that we did the best thing by getting him to the hospital when we did. We then asked if he felt it, was he in pain? Did he know what was happening? He said that he felt no pain and did not know what was going on. He said as soon as the clot moved Pop went unconscious and had no idea what was going on. They did CPR and revived him for a while, then he went into cardiac arrest and they couldn't get him back. They were doing CPR when they called my parents and he was pronounced at exactly 12:30 AM, the very moment I was getting dressed. He died without us. He died without a single person who loves him by his side. I'm so sad about that. I'm so very sad I didn't get to tell him one more time how very much I LOVE him. My Mom, Dad, Grandma and Cousin were still in route to the hospital and my sister and I were panicked at the thought of having to tell them. The doctor said he would tell them, we didn't have to do it. I won't go into the details of watching my Mom and Grandmother get the news, just know, it was heart breaking. When Mom and Ma decided to go see him and say their good byes I took my cousin and went to my Uncle Dan. He was at home alone, and I knew he needed someone with him. I stayed until my family got back from the hospital. We sat and talked for a few minutes, then we all headed out. 3:30 AM I got home, walked in the house and it was SO quiet. Deafening. I changed back into my PJ's and headed to the kitchen. I made a pot of coffee, and sat down to try to watch some tv and get my mind off of everything. It didn't work. I cried, and cried and cried some more. I went to the computer, I wrote a blog...I have no idea where it is...apparently it never posted. I went outside and sat on the front porch. It was still. No breeze. Nothing. Earlier in the evening there had been a lovely breeze, now everything was still. The only sound I could hear were the crickets. I looked up at the sky, stars slightly covered by dark clouds. Then, I heard a laugh...it was POP. I heard Pop laughing! Then I heard him say "Y'all didn't expect that did ya? That was a good one!" I proceeded to answer him "That's NOT funny POP!" (More on this phenomena later so you know I'm not crazy)
We have spent the remainder of our week taking care of Ma and trying to make everything as pleasant as it can possibly be. We have told stories of our Poppie and laughed until our stomachs hurt. During one of our conversations my sister got the most excited look on her face and said "Guess what happened to me yesterday when I went to Farm Fresh (the grocery store of Pop's choice!)!!!" We asked what and she said she got out of her car and looked down and right beside her foot was a.....and she pulled out a nickle. Our mouths fell open, this was not just an ordinary nickle. This was a 2005 Lewis and Clark nickle. She said she could just hear Pop..."Seen this one yet?" She said she had never before seen this nickle, neither had any of us, and said she looked up to the sky and said "HEY POP!" right out loud. Then I told them about me hearing Pop laughing and I told them what I had heard him say, and Ma was shocked, she looked at me and said "I heard him laughing in the living room yesterday when I was getting up from my nap". We are all sure that Pop has made himself known to us. He has made it clear that he is watching over us. We have been able to make difficult decisions with ease. We have felt as if Pop were guiding us, letting us know exactly what he wants. While I don't want to say it has been easy, because GOD knows it has been the hardest thing we have dealt with as a family yet, it has been peaceful. The family (and I mean everyone) is in agreement with all of the decisions, all of the planning.
We have chosen not to have a funeral, instead, we will have an informal, celebration of his life, complete with all of Pop's favorite foods. There will be BBQ and Coleslaw, Brunswick Stew and Cornbread, Butter Beans with Pop's Tomato Vinegar Salad, his beloved 3 Bean Salad, Vinegar Pie, Coconut Creme Pie, and of couse, it wouldn't be complete without Pop's SIGNATURE Fudge. We will have a time to tell our great memories of our Poppie and remember him with love.
My sister has written the obituary (BLESS HER, I couldn't do it). It will be non-traditional as well. That's the way Pop would have wanted it.
Before I go, I'd love to tell everyone a little about my Pop.
My Poppie was fantastic.
He gave me rides on his shoulders.
He could make anyone laugh.
In every situation, there was a joke to be found, and trust me, he found it.
He loved to collect coins.
There was always a treasure to be found anywhere you went.
He loved his family beyond any measure.
He did goofy things.
Life was full of "Popisms".
The Redskins were ALWAYS the team to beat in his book, no matter how bad the season was.
He loved his chewing tobacco.
Everything important is on floppy disk!
He once ate cracker jacks in the dark and ate the prize.
He would always ask you if you remembered.....something that happened way before you were born. And than LAUGH AND LAUGH.
We love you so much Poppie! We will miss you. Keep the angels laughing, and make sure you tell us all the great stories of what we missed when we arrive!
Charlie Lee Spivey 6/2/33-9/28/11
If you have been following my blog and reading it, you know that my Grandfather (Pop or Poppie {I may refer to him as both, so, please don't be confused}) was admitted to the hospital for a pulmonary embolism on Tuesday, September 27, 2011. My Sister and Mom left the hospital around 9:30 that night and all was well. Pop was laughing and joking around. Everyone thought he would be just fine. I went to bed at about 10:30, maybe 11. At 12:28 on Wednesday morning my phone rang. It was my Dad. He told me that the hospital called and that Pop was not doing well. He had stopped breathing, had to be put on a ventilator and that he was completely unresponsive. As soon as I got off the phone I immediately got dressed and told DH that I was headed to the hospital because Pop was not doing well, it was exactly 12:30 AM. At 12:32 AM I was headed out the door and getting in my van. (Why I remember exact times is beyond me. But they are burned in my memory forever now.) As I drove the dark, empty streets I could see lightning over in the direction of the hospital. I prayed "Poppie, hang on, I'm coming." But, I knew better, I knew with every flash of lighting it was not good and that my Pop was gone. I arrived at the hospital at 12:46 AM. No one was there. I called my sister and she said that she and my brother in law were pulling in. So, I waited for them. I didn't want to go in alone. My sister and I all but ran into the hospital both saying we didn't like being the first ones there. After having to wait for the snail speed security guy to scan our id's, take our picture, do facial recognition and print our badges, we finally got on our way up to Poppie. I looked at my badge and my sister's, we had different letters, her's said 3A, mine said 3B.....something was NOT right. We got to the floor walked past a station full of nurses, past another smaller station with one nurse and arrived at his room. It was empty. EMPTY. No sheets, no sign of anyone having been in the room. The bed was in an upright position completely bare. My sister and I stood there for what seemed like an eternity just staring. I walked around the corner and looked at the nurse and trying not to cry said "Where is my Grandfather?" She asked who my Grandfather was and I couldn't speak. Nothing would come out of my mouth. All my sister could say was his room number "337". She got up and said "come with me". We walked around to the large nurses station and she spoke with a woman in a white coat. She shook our hands and introduced herself, but, I couldn't tell you her name. She said that he had been moved to ICU just around the corner and that she would take us back there. She got on her phone and I was on her heels and I heard her say "The family is here. They didn't get stopped. They made it to his room." We got into ICU and a doctor was waiting for us in the hallway. He shook our hands and told us who he was, again, I can't remember that. He said he was going to take us around the corner to talk to us. We knew. We knew what had happened. We just didn't want to believe it and I think we needed to hear someone say it. The doctor asked us if we knew what he had been admitted for, and we said, yes, a pulmonary embolism. He said yes, that is what caused him to be admitted. He then started talking and I know he said that it was a miracle that we had gotten him to the hospital at all because most people don't make it to the hospital. He then said that his embolism was massive and that unfortunately, he didn't make it. All I could say was "OH JESUS!" My brother in law (bless his soul) was trying to comfort the 2 of us. The doctor said how very sorry he was and asked if there was anything he could do to help us or if we had any questions he would answer them the best he could. I immediately asked if there was something we could have done to prevent it, and he said that we did the best thing by getting him to the hospital when we did. We then asked if he felt it, was he in pain? Did he know what was happening? He said that he felt no pain and did not know what was going on. He said as soon as the clot moved Pop went unconscious and had no idea what was going on. They did CPR and revived him for a while, then he went into cardiac arrest and they couldn't get him back. They were doing CPR when they called my parents and he was pronounced at exactly 12:30 AM, the very moment I was getting dressed. He died without us. He died without a single person who loves him by his side. I'm so sad about that. I'm so very sad I didn't get to tell him one more time how very much I LOVE him. My Mom, Dad, Grandma and Cousin were still in route to the hospital and my sister and I were panicked at the thought of having to tell them. The doctor said he would tell them, we didn't have to do it. I won't go into the details of watching my Mom and Grandmother get the news, just know, it was heart breaking. When Mom and Ma decided to go see him and say their good byes I took my cousin and went to my Uncle Dan. He was at home alone, and I knew he needed someone with him. I stayed until my family got back from the hospital. We sat and talked for a few minutes, then we all headed out. 3:30 AM I got home, walked in the house and it was SO quiet. Deafening. I changed back into my PJ's and headed to the kitchen. I made a pot of coffee, and sat down to try to watch some tv and get my mind off of everything. It didn't work. I cried, and cried and cried some more. I went to the computer, I wrote a blog...I have no idea where it is...apparently it never posted. I went outside and sat on the front porch. It was still. No breeze. Nothing. Earlier in the evening there had been a lovely breeze, now everything was still. The only sound I could hear were the crickets. I looked up at the sky, stars slightly covered by dark clouds. Then, I heard a laugh...it was POP. I heard Pop laughing! Then I heard him say "Y'all didn't expect that did ya? That was a good one!" I proceeded to answer him "That's NOT funny POP!" (More on this phenomena later so you know I'm not crazy)
We have spent the remainder of our week taking care of Ma and trying to make everything as pleasant as it can possibly be. We have told stories of our Poppie and laughed until our stomachs hurt. During one of our conversations my sister got the most excited look on her face and said "Guess what happened to me yesterday when I went to Farm Fresh (the grocery store of Pop's choice!)!!!" We asked what and she said she got out of her car and looked down and right beside her foot was a.....and she pulled out a nickle. Our mouths fell open, this was not just an ordinary nickle. This was a 2005 Lewis and Clark nickle. She said she could just hear Pop..."Seen this one yet?" She said she had never before seen this nickle, neither had any of us, and said she looked up to the sky and said "HEY POP!" right out loud. Then I told them about me hearing Pop laughing and I told them what I had heard him say, and Ma was shocked, she looked at me and said "I heard him laughing in the living room yesterday when I was getting up from my nap". We are all sure that Pop has made himself known to us. He has made it clear that he is watching over us. We have been able to make difficult decisions with ease. We have felt as if Pop were guiding us, letting us know exactly what he wants. While I don't want to say it has been easy, because GOD knows it has been the hardest thing we have dealt with as a family yet, it has been peaceful. The family (and I mean everyone) is in agreement with all of the decisions, all of the planning.
We have chosen not to have a funeral, instead, we will have an informal, celebration of his life, complete with all of Pop's favorite foods. There will be BBQ and Coleslaw, Brunswick Stew and Cornbread, Butter Beans with Pop's Tomato Vinegar Salad, his beloved 3 Bean Salad, Vinegar Pie, Coconut Creme Pie, and of couse, it wouldn't be complete without Pop's SIGNATURE Fudge. We will have a time to tell our great memories of our Poppie and remember him with love.
My sister has written the obituary (BLESS HER, I couldn't do it). It will be non-traditional as well. That's the way Pop would have wanted it.
Before I go, I'd love to tell everyone a little about my Pop.
My Poppie was fantastic.
He gave me rides on his shoulders.
He could make anyone laugh.
In every situation, there was a joke to be found, and trust me, he found it.
He loved to collect coins.
There was always a treasure to be found anywhere you went.
He loved his family beyond any measure.
He did goofy things.
Life was full of "Popisms".
The Redskins were ALWAYS the team to beat in his book, no matter how bad the season was.
He loved his chewing tobacco.
Everything important is on floppy disk!
He once ate cracker jacks in the dark and ate the prize.
He would always ask you if you remembered.....something that happened way before you were born. And than LAUGH AND LAUGH.
We love you so much Poppie! We will miss you. Keep the angels laughing, and make sure you tell us all the great stories of what we missed when we arrive!
Charlie Lee Spivey 6/2/33-9/28/11
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
My Pop
My Poppie was a good man. He was loved by everyone. He was the cornerstone. When I was little he would hoist me up on his shoulders and give me long rides. My Poppie was so funny. He always made you laugh. He told great jokes, and did some absolutely ridiculous things. I loved my Poppie. I didn't tell him as often as I should. I didn't get to see him before he passed. I'm so sad that I didn't get to tell him one more time that I love him. It's finally hit me that he's gone. I made it through the Doctor telling Me and my Sister that he didn't make it. I made it through the Doctor telling my Mom and Grandma when they got to the hospital. I made it through comforting my Uncle. Now I'm home, and I've lost it. I'm so sad that I won't get to see him again. I'm so sad that I won't get to have Thanksgiving or Christmas with him. I'm just so sad. I'm going to miss you Poppie. We all will. Until we meet again, keep the angels laughing and on their toes. WE LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!!!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Catching Up
Well, it's been way too long since my last blog post. I must catch you up. I have had SO much going on!!
My 9 year wedding anniversary was on the 21st, and we did not get a chance to celebrate :( BOO HISS on 12 hour work days 7 days a week. (More on this later)
I had a most lovely coffee date on Thursday that turned into an afternoon perusing the new Vera Bradley collection and stopping for a cup cake :). It was a truly enjoyable morning/afternoon and I can't wait to get together with my friend again (which will be this week!!).
My weekend was rather uneventful. We waited all weekend for the airshow to go on, however, due to the nasty, wet stuff that was falling from the sky, we didn't get very much. A few planes here and there and some pyrotechnics that made us feel like we were cartoon characters being blown up. DH did decide that we should go out to dinner for an impromptu anniversary dinner. So, I called the parents and begged for a couple hours of babysitting. They agreed and off we went to our dinner. Other than that....nada.
This week started off with my eldest home. She was not feeling well, poor thing. So, she and I vegged and watched scary Lifetime movies all day. It was beautiful.
Today started off with a wake up....at 7:19!! OMG! The kids are supposed to be walking to the bus stop at that time!! HOLY CRAP. So, we rush to get ready (pants on, shirts on, socks, shoes, brush your hair, TAKE YOUR MEDICINE!, get your book bags and get in the car!) and managed get to school in time. I drop the kids off and after listening to my youngest scream and cry for me...I get my teary self into the van and start heading out of the parking lot...BUT, not before being stopped by the VP who just wanted to chat about the school bus. UGH! Really? I'm running seriously late here today. Finally get away from the VP and get back home at 8:00. I quickly hop in the shower, rush myself, get dressed, sit down with a cup of coffee, drink half of it, jot a quick excuse note for yesterdays absence and it's time to get the eldest to her bus stop. I get outside, chat with another mom, the bus comes, collects the children and I am in the van again headed to my Grandmother to take her to the commissary.
I arrive at MeeMaw's house and she meets me at the door with purse in hand (can we say anxious to get out and get some groceries??). Off we go to the commissary. We managed to get all the shopping done and are checking out. I look at the clock...HOLY STINK! It's 11:10! I run out to the van, pull it up front to load the groceries and PRAY that we make it to the house before my little one gets off the bus at 11:30. 11:20 get phone call from vaguely familiar number. I answered the phone...it was Shelby's "principal" from last year! She called to check on little bug and see how she was doing and to BEG me to bring her to visit because they miss her so very much. I agreed and must remember that she is only there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 11:27 cell phone rings again...it's the elementary school..."Mrs. Warden?" "Yes???" "Did you catch the bus?" "UGH! No!! She's EARLY!" (at this point I am literally 2 minutes from my house) "Yeah, she was a little early today, she called very upset because she said you are always at home and she couldn't believe she was this early. So, she is bringing Shelby back to school." "Ok, I'll be there in 5 minutes to pick her up." "Ok, that's fine." Now, let me just tell you that I have NEVER EVER EVER missed picking one of my kids up from the bus, so, I am extremely upset at this point. I get to school and the bus is still in the parking lot. I literally missed her by a minute. I run in, sign Shelby out, and she told me that she told the Principal that it was NOT my fault that the buses left the lot early. (Insert HUGE thanks to Michelle!) So, Shelby and I trek out to the van to meet MeeMaw and head back to her house.
We arrived safe, calm and collected to MeeMaws house and proceeded to start unloading groceries. Well, here comes my Dad. (Why is he home? He and Mom were supposed to be on their way out of town on vacation.) Well, turns out my OTHER Grandfather had a doctors appointment this morning, and so Mom had to take him. Well, something was wrong and his blood pressure was low, so they sent him to Patient First. Ok. We got all the groceries in, I got all the frozen and cold stuff put up and I had to sit down!! I was beat and my feet were killing me! I finally got Shelby rounded up and we headed home.
I got home, put up my cold stuff that I had gotten at the commissary and sat down to eat some lunch. I checked the caller ID and saw that my girl, T had called, so, I called her. GOOD NEWS!! She got the new apartment and they move in on Friday!! YAY!! I am super excited! She decided to come over for a visit, so, we sat and talked and waited for Logan to get home. It was nice to just be with her. I always enjoy our time together.
After Logan got home and T went to her own school, I came in and relaxed for a while til hubby got home. Time for hubby to get home came and went. OH NO! What's happened? Is he OK? No answer on the cell phone, no answer to the text message. I started FREAKING. I sent my sister-in-law a text message. Just as she replied, hubby called. His car won't start at 7-11....REALLY? SERIOUSLY? Ok, BREATHE. I tell hubby to call me back if he can't fix it. He calls back and asks for the phone number to the tow company that's right by where he is. I get to looking for it, and OMG! It's a miracle! the car started. So, now he's on his way home.
Eldest daughter arrives home, hubby arrives home, sit and talk with hubby a while, get eldest daughter to her appointment at 5. Grab dinner on the way home. Get home, eat dinner. Hubby tells me that my sister called. Oh LORD! So, I text her and ask if she has heard anything about Pop. She called me and said that Patient First called an ambulance to take Pop to the hospital. (My Mom left this morning for a simple doctor appointment with him and didn't eat breakfast anticipating that she would get home, grab a bite and hit the road!) I find out that my Mom hasn't eaten anything all day and that she is in the ER with my grandfather and immediately wanted to go get her food and take it to her. Well, I couldn't get a hold of her on her cell phone. Big surprise...hello? They are in the ER DUMMY! So, I did what any logical person would do, I called my Dad. LOL. He said that he heard that they thought he had a pulmonary embolism and that they were doing some lung scans. Ok. I'm absorbing this. I then called my sister and told her what I had been told. So we waited a while and waited some more. Meanwhile, I've still been trying to call my mom, gotten a call from Dad's Mom (MeeMaw), called Mom's Mom's (my Ma and Pop's wife) house and talked to my Uncle Dan. He said that they are keeping Pop in the hospital and that he does have a clot in his lung (Pulmonary Embolism). I was getting ready to call my sister again, and my sons teacher called...OH GREAT...I really don't need to deal with this now....but, I answered anyway and talked with her for a few minutes, MeeMaw beeped in so I called her when I was done. I called Dad again to see if he had heard anything else when I got another call...it was MOM! I quick answered and found out that he not only has the pulmonary embolism, but, they are scanning his heart tomorrow to find out if the clot came from his heart and if it is trying to throw any more. They also found a mass on his lung. They don't know what it is, but it doesn't sound good. So, I sit here, blogging and thinking and worried as I wait for my sister to call me and let me know how everyone is (She is heading to the hospital).
As for the rest of my week? Tomorrow is breakfast with my fantastic sis-in-law and T, Thursday is coffee with my awesome friend and Friday is test results for Logan and coffee with my sis. I think I'm set up for a good rest of the week.
I hope you were able to follow my twisted, random blog post and that it made some sort of sense to you. If not, keep following me, you will get used to me. LOL
Have a wonderful week!
~Lou~
My 9 year wedding anniversary was on the 21st, and we did not get a chance to celebrate :( BOO HISS on 12 hour work days 7 days a week. (More on this later)
I had a most lovely coffee date on Thursday that turned into an afternoon perusing the new Vera Bradley collection and stopping for a cup cake :). It was a truly enjoyable morning/afternoon and I can't wait to get together with my friend again (which will be this week!!).
My weekend was rather uneventful. We waited all weekend for the airshow to go on, however, due to the nasty, wet stuff that was falling from the sky, we didn't get very much. A few planes here and there and some pyrotechnics that made us feel like we were cartoon characters being blown up. DH did decide that we should go out to dinner for an impromptu anniversary dinner. So, I called the parents and begged for a couple hours of babysitting. They agreed and off we went to our dinner. Other than that....nada.
This week started off with my eldest home. She was not feeling well, poor thing. So, she and I vegged and watched scary Lifetime movies all day. It was beautiful.
Today started off with a wake up....at 7:19!! OMG! The kids are supposed to be walking to the bus stop at that time!! HOLY CRAP. So, we rush to get ready (pants on, shirts on, socks, shoes, brush your hair, TAKE YOUR MEDICINE!, get your book bags and get in the car!) and managed get to school in time. I drop the kids off and after listening to my youngest scream and cry for me...I get my teary self into the van and start heading out of the parking lot...BUT, not before being stopped by the VP who just wanted to chat about the school bus. UGH! Really? I'm running seriously late here today. Finally get away from the VP and get back home at 8:00. I quickly hop in the shower, rush myself, get dressed, sit down with a cup of coffee, drink half of it, jot a quick excuse note for yesterdays absence and it's time to get the eldest to her bus stop. I get outside, chat with another mom, the bus comes, collects the children and I am in the van again headed to my Grandmother to take her to the commissary.
I arrive at MeeMaw's house and she meets me at the door with purse in hand (can we say anxious to get out and get some groceries??). Off we go to the commissary. We managed to get all the shopping done and are checking out. I look at the clock...HOLY STINK! It's 11:10! I run out to the van, pull it up front to load the groceries and PRAY that we make it to the house before my little one gets off the bus at 11:30. 11:20 get phone call from vaguely familiar number. I answered the phone...it was Shelby's "principal" from last year! She called to check on little bug and see how she was doing and to BEG me to bring her to visit because they miss her so very much. I agreed and must remember that she is only there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 11:27 cell phone rings again...it's the elementary school..."Mrs. Warden?" "Yes???" "Did you catch the bus?" "UGH! No!! She's EARLY!" (at this point I am literally 2 minutes from my house) "Yeah, she was a little early today, she called very upset because she said you are always at home and she couldn't believe she was this early. So, she is bringing Shelby back to school." "Ok, I'll be there in 5 minutes to pick her up." "Ok, that's fine." Now, let me just tell you that I have NEVER EVER EVER missed picking one of my kids up from the bus, so, I am extremely upset at this point. I get to school and the bus is still in the parking lot. I literally missed her by a minute. I run in, sign Shelby out, and she told me that she told the Principal that it was NOT my fault that the buses left the lot early. (Insert HUGE thanks to Michelle!) So, Shelby and I trek out to the van to meet MeeMaw and head back to her house.
We arrived safe, calm and collected to MeeMaws house and proceeded to start unloading groceries. Well, here comes my Dad. (Why is he home? He and Mom were supposed to be on their way out of town on vacation.) Well, turns out my OTHER Grandfather had a doctors appointment this morning, and so Mom had to take him. Well, something was wrong and his blood pressure was low, so they sent him to Patient First. Ok. We got all the groceries in, I got all the frozen and cold stuff put up and I had to sit down!! I was beat and my feet were killing me! I finally got Shelby rounded up and we headed home.
I got home, put up my cold stuff that I had gotten at the commissary and sat down to eat some lunch. I checked the caller ID and saw that my girl, T had called, so, I called her. GOOD NEWS!! She got the new apartment and they move in on Friday!! YAY!! I am super excited! She decided to come over for a visit, so, we sat and talked and waited for Logan to get home. It was nice to just be with her. I always enjoy our time together.
After Logan got home and T went to her own school, I came in and relaxed for a while til hubby got home. Time for hubby to get home came and went. OH NO! What's happened? Is he OK? No answer on the cell phone, no answer to the text message. I started FREAKING. I sent my sister-in-law a text message. Just as she replied, hubby called. His car won't start at 7-11....REALLY? SERIOUSLY? Ok, BREATHE. I tell hubby to call me back if he can't fix it. He calls back and asks for the phone number to the tow company that's right by where he is. I get to looking for it, and OMG! It's a miracle! the car started. So, now he's on his way home.
Eldest daughter arrives home, hubby arrives home, sit and talk with hubby a while, get eldest daughter to her appointment at 5. Grab dinner on the way home. Get home, eat dinner. Hubby tells me that my sister called. Oh LORD! So, I text her and ask if she has heard anything about Pop. She called me and said that Patient First called an ambulance to take Pop to the hospital. (My Mom left this morning for a simple doctor appointment with him and didn't eat breakfast anticipating that she would get home, grab a bite and hit the road!) I find out that my Mom hasn't eaten anything all day and that she is in the ER with my grandfather and immediately wanted to go get her food and take it to her. Well, I couldn't get a hold of her on her cell phone. Big surprise...hello? They are in the ER DUMMY! So, I did what any logical person would do, I called my Dad. LOL. He said that he heard that they thought he had a pulmonary embolism and that they were doing some lung scans. Ok. I'm absorbing this. I then called my sister and told her what I had been told. So we waited a while and waited some more. Meanwhile, I've still been trying to call my mom, gotten a call from Dad's Mom (MeeMaw), called Mom's Mom's (my Ma and Pop's wife) house and talked to my Uncle Dan. He said that they are keeping Pop in the hospital and that he does have a clot in his lung (Pulmonary Embolism). I was getting ready to call my sister again, and my sons teacher called...OH GREAT...I really don't need to deal with this now....but, I answered anyway and talked with her for a few minutes, MeeMaw beeped in so I called her when I was done. I called Dad again to see if he had heard anything else when I got another call...it was MOM! I quick answered and found out that he not only has the pulmonary embolism, but, they are scanning his heart tomorrow to find out if the clot came from his heart and if it is trying to throw any more. They also found a mass on his lung. They don't know what it is, but it doesn't sound good. So, I sit here, blogging and thinking and worried as I wait for my sister to call me and let me know how everyone is (She is heading to the hospital).
As for the rest of my week? Tomorrow is breakfast with my fantastic sis-in-law and T, Thursday is coffee with my awesome friend and Friday is test results for Logan and coffee with my sis. I think I'm set up for a good rest of the week.
I hope you were able to follow my twisted, random blog post and that it made some sort of sense to you. If not, keep following me, you will get used to me. LOL
Have a wonderful week!
~Lou~
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Yesterday's Adventures In WalMart (AKA HELLMart)
Well yesterday, I felt brave. I was going to make my menu, make my shopping list and brave the wind and rain to go grocery shopping so I could feed my family. Oh yeah, and take the 2 younger kids with me! (I guess I had a momentary bout of insanity, no, wait, that's the norm.)
Shelby and I sat down and made the menu, I then made the list of things we needed and we got dressed and headed out to the store. I figured on a rainy, cold Saturday most people would still be at home and in their jammies. We got to our newly finished Super WalMart to start our attack. Upon entering the doors, there was a nice lady standing there that asked if we would like to have a free re-usable shopping bag for the....wait for it....GRAND OPENING....OH NO! SHOOT ME NOW! I had NO idea that it was grand opening weekend, this darn store has been open the whole time, and they finished a few weeks ago. Well, with a happy face, I said yes, and decided to go ahead with my plan of attack. Off to the produce! I managed to get through the grocery part with not too much of a problem from the kids except for a few outbursts of them trying to kill one another in the cart, then it was off to paper goods and bath and body. We managed to fair well in those departments...wow, this is turning out to be a really nice trip with them! I am excited! On to the toy department for some browsing (we have a birthday next month and Christmas is coming up rather quickly! And, I told them they could have a SMALL prize for behaving.).While I am standing there on the toy isle I am making mental notes of what the kids really like and what they sincerely want for Christmas. I have now been on this ONE isle for 30 minutes, I have examined every Barbie, Tinker Bell, Fijit, Teacup Piglet, Polly Pocket, Monster High, Bratz, Littlest Pet Shop and Squinkie known to this one WalMart. Now, people are starting to fill into the toy department. I finally get her to come to the BOY isle so that poor little Logan can look and see what he would like. He quickly chooses a Bakugan (however you spell it). So, off we go. Shelby decides she needs to go back to the toy department and find something there that she would like. OFF SHE GOES! So, I follow behind. I stood there and waited, and waited, and waited. At this point there are people walking around the store with balloon animals and cotton candy (OH NO! So not what I wanted to deal with!!) thankfully my children were oblivious to it. I finally convinced Shelby that we should go see if we could find something for her in another area of the store. After a good solid hour of being on this one toy isle, she decided that it was better to go with me than stay there with the strangers. SUCCESS! I am now headed to check out! Well, she finally found what she wanted, a $3.00 Tinker Bell Cell Phone. GLADLY. Put it in the buggy and LET'S GET OUT OF HERE! The people were getting thick and I was starting to lose all composure. Then, I saw it. The awful, LONG LINE waiting for balloon animals and cotton candy. The kids looked at me with pleading eyes and begged for the chance to get an animal and cotton candy. "NO!, All of our time was spent in the toy section, now, we have to pay and leave." (I'm such a MEAN ASS Mom!!)
Ahhhhh, the calm of the check out line....oh wait, there is a woman using coupons....not that I mind couponers, I am one, however, WalMart does not have their shit together for coupons yet and most of them they have to enter manually, they won't scan. So, I wait, trying to entertain the youngsters with anything I can think of. FINALLY, it's our turn at check out!! The kids are so excited that they MUST have their items as soon as they are rung up. So, they stand there, playing with their toys while I load the buggy with all of the purchased fruit, vegetables, canned goods and paper products. My order is almost done when I hear a bagger asking the lady in the isle next to me if she has more items in her buggy because she has run out of room to bag things and needs to start loading them into the empty buggy. No biggie, right? I have baggers ask me that all the time. OH LORD! Katy Bar the DOORS! This woman had a complete outright temper tantrum in the middle of WalMart while unloading her buggy!! The bagger asked if she could just bring the buggy down a bit (the entire buggy was empty with the exception of stuff in the very top, where a child would sit). This customer proceeded to YELL at her "NO! YOU WILL WAIT FOR ME TO FINISH! I DIDN'T COME HERE TO BE HARASSED! I WANT A MANAGER HERE NOW BEFORE THIS GETS WORSE!" WOW, really lady? She just asked if she could start putting stuff that YOU purchased into the buggy, it's not worth all that now. The bagger looked at her and said "Ma'm, I'm not trying to harass you, I was just asking if I could start putting your stuff in the buggy because I am out of room here." I felt so bad for the bagger. Poor woman was just trying to do her job and she got screamed at! I looked at my cashier and said "WOW!", she was just shaking her head. Needless to say, we high tailed it out of there as fast as we could so as not to be in the middle of DRAMA! I hate drama.
Today I am waiting for my DH to get home from work so that we can get over to my grandmother's house and have his birthday dinner/party. I hope it goes well for him, last year was bad, MeeMaw was in the hospital and we didn't get to have a party for him because of work.
Here's to a great end to a nice weekend!
How was your weekend?
~Lou~
Shelby and I sat down and made the menu, I then made the list of things we needed and we got dressed and headed out to the store. I figured on a rainy, cold Saturday most people would still be at home and in their jammies. We got to our newly finished Super WalMart to start our attack. Upon entering the doors, there was a nice lady standing there that asked if we would like to have a free re-usable shopping bag for the....wait for it....GRAND OPENING....OH NO! SHOOT ME NOW! I had NO idea that it was grand opening weekend, this darn store has been open the whole time, and they finished a few weeks ago. Well, with a happy face, I said yes, and decided to go ahead with my plan of attack. Off to the produce! I managed to get through the grocery part with not too much of a problem from the kids except for a few outbursts of them trying to kill one another in the cart, then it was off to paper goods and bath and body. We managed to fair well in those departments...wow, this is turning out to be a really nice trip with them! I am excited! On to the toy department for some browsing (we have a birthday next month and Christmas is coming up rather quickly! And, I told them they could have a SMALL prize for behaving.).While I am standing there on the toy isle I am making mental notes of what the kids really like and what they sincerely want for Christmas. I have now been on this ONE isle for 30 minutes, I have examined every Barbie, Tinker Bell, Fijit, Teacup Piglet, Polly Pocket, Monster High, Bratz, Littlest Pet Shop and Squinkie known to this one WalMart. Now, people are starting to fill into the toy department. I finally get her to come to the BOY isle so that poor little Logan can look and see what he would like. He quickly chooses a Bakugan (however you spell it). So, off we go. Shelby decides she needs to go back to the toy department and find something there that she would like. OFF SHE GOES! So, I follow behind. I stood there and waited, and waited, and waited. At this point there are people walking around the store with balloon animals and cotton candy (OH NO! So not what I wanted to deal with!!) thankfully my children were oblivious to it. I finally convinced Shelby that we should go see if we could find something for her in another area of the store. After a good solid hour of being on this one toy isle, she decided that it was better to go with me than stay there with the strangers. SUCCESS! I am now headed to check out! Well, she finally found what she wanted, a $3.00 Tinker Bell Cell Phone. GLADLY. Put it in the buggy and LET'S GET OUT OF HERE! The people were getting thick and I was starting to lose all composure. Then, I saw it. The awful, LONG LINE waiting for balloon animals and cotton candy. The kids looked at me with pleading eyes and begged for the chance to get an animal and cotton candy. "NO!, All of our time was spent in the toy section, now, we have to pay and leave." (I'm such a MEAN ASS Mom!!)
Ahhhhh, the calm of the check out line....oh wait, there is a woman using coupons....not that I mind couponers, I am one, however, WalMart does not have their shit together for coupons yet and most of them they have to enter manually, they won't scan. So, I wait, trying to entertain the youngsters with anything I can think of. FINALLY, it's our turn at check out!! The kids are so excited that they MUST have their items as soon as they are rung up. So, they stand there, playing with their toys while I load the buggy with all of the purchased fruit, vegetables, canned goods and paper products. My order is almost done when I hear a bagger asking the lady in the isle next to me if she has more items in her buggy because she has run out of room to bag things and needs to start loading them into the empty buggy. No biggie, right? I have baggers ask me that all the time. OH LORD! Katy Bar the DOORS! This woman had a complete outright temper tantrum in the middle of WalMart while unloading her buggy!! The bagger asked if she could just bring the buggy down a bit (the entire buggy was empty with the exception of stuff in the very top, where a child would sit). This customer proceeded to YELL at her "NO! YOU WILL WAIT FOR ME TO FINISH! I DIDN'T COME HERE TO BE HARASSED! I WANT A MANAGER HERE NOW BEFORE THIS GETS WORSE!" WOW, really lady? She just asked if she could start putting stuff that YOU purchased into the buggy, it's not worth all that now. The bagger looked at her and said "Ma'm, I'm not trying to harass you, I was just asking if I could start putting your stuff in the buggy because I am out of room here." I felt so bad for the bagger. Poor woman was just trying to do her job and she got screamed at! I looked at my cashier and said "WOW!", she was just shaking her head. Needless to say, we high tailed it out of there as fast as we could so as not to be in the middle of DRAMA! I hate drama.
Today I am waiting for my DH to get home from work so that we can get over to my grandmother's house and have his birthday dinner/party. I hope it goes well for him, last year was bad, MeeMaw was in the hospital and we didn't get to have a party for him because of work.
Here's to a great end to a nice weekend!
How was your weekend?
~Lou~
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