The Day Before

Tomorrow is the big day-Holly will turn 1 and I will turn 40 something. Ha! We girls are looking forward to a day of celebrating together! Noah is planning on coming home, if the snowstorm isn't too bad anyhow. Another thing to look forward to!

It has been a busy month. I went back to work a couple of weeks ago. Everything seems to be going well post surgical. I've been a little more tired than normal, but that is to be expected. Now I am gearing up for Christmas. Jim was supposed to work on Christmas eve, so we had to adjust our plans. He came home last night and told me he is not working after all, so we are adjusting plans again. Found some great bargains this year-much needed after the financial squeeze of being off work last month. Also, trying to keep things simpler-spending less, no outside decorations, no Christmas card mailing, and no shipping of packages. It has helped to keep my stress down and my energy up.

Jim and Noah spent a couple of weekends preparing for and attempting a deer hunt. The weather turned nasty on the two days they had permits. By nasty I mean snow and howling winds; wind chills were in the -25 to -35 range. They attempted it the first day, but it wasn't a day fit for man or beast, so they took a break in the afternoon. After thawing out at home, they decided they didn't want to even try again, so they went back and took down their stands. Now if I could just get them to get ALL their gear put away!

Jim and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary this weekend. We went out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Ryan's Bistro. Such wonderful service and atmosphere, and the food... the white truffle risotto is to die for! Then we went for a ride and looked at some spectacular Christmas light displays while listening to some old Christmas songs on his satellite radio. It was very nice. I had an epiphany this year-I have been married for half my life!

Not much new with the boys. We are VERY thankful to be able to put Nate back on our health insurance next year. He has been having bad acid reflux problems and needs to see a doctor. We feel blessed that he has such a great girlfriend, Carly. She even seems to like us! Noah finished up this semester with pretty good grades. Had trouble with one class and wound up with a C, but otherwise A's & B's. He found out that he gets paid time off as a part time employee at the bank. It has accumulated, since he wasn't aware of that. Thought about switching jobs, but he didn't want to lose the benefit he didn't know he had! It will come in handy next summer if he is able to go to Michigan with us.

Well I wish you a Merry Christmas filled with good memories, love, family, and peace. Take time to remember and share what Christmas is really about-Jesus.

Company, Thanksgiving, and Decorating

Well that about sums up the past few weeks. Mr. Abbott wound up coming a few days early. His elk hunt wasn't going very well; he didn't even see one! It was so good to see him! Too much catching up to try and cram into one night, but am thankful for the time we did have. He arrived around dinner time and was up very early the next morning to get on the road. Hopefully we will be able to get together again this summer in Michigan!

I think I was running on adrenline getting ready for Mr. Abbott's visit, because I kind of had a slump the week afterwards. Still, I'm doing well with my recovery. Sometimes I still get headaches, but I think I am not drinking enough water or something. I see the doctor again this week for a month follow up. If everything looks good and I'm still feeling up to it, he may release me to go back to work. I'm hoping that is the case with all the expenses piling up.

While I've been off work, we had some roof work done. It took a week to finish properly ventilating our roof, venting the bath fans out the roof, and replacing bad decking. In a few more days we are also adding insulation. Hopefully this will take care of the problems we have been experiencing with ice dams. It is so stressful in the winter and we have been putting this off by going out and roof raking the edges after a snow. Last year we got so much snow-just couldn't go through that again!

Thanksgiving was ok. We were all together and that is always nice. I wish my family was a little more fun though! Jim cooked about half the meal. I did the other half, and that was my limit for the day. As soon as I sat down and started eating, I could tell I needed a nap. The boys cleaned up (as well as boys do...) and everyone just sat around. Kind of fuddy duddy like. Nate's girlfriend, Carly, joined us for dinner and hung out for awhile. Then she and Nate went back to her house to decorate her tree. Noah hung out for awhile, and then went back to college-so he could be up bright and early for tailgaiting and football. Maybe someday my family will grow a little larger and things will be more lively!

Have been spending the past few days getting my Christmas decorations up. Spent hours today straightening branches on the artificial tree and getting the lights on. I HATE that job and I REALLY HATE doing it alone. At least we are ready to decorate tonight and I'm hoping to enlist some help for that! Don't have any shopping done, but am going to really cut back this year-like I said earlier, lots of expenses this year.

Leave a comment! Would love to hear what you have been up to lately!

Update

Hello

I am doing really well with my recovery. Pain is minimal a little over a week out and energy has been really good. Unfortunately, I developed a headache the day after surgery that kept getting worse. I finally called the doctor on day 5 and asked for some help after being in tears the night before. He thought I had a spinal fluid leak from the shot they gave me for pain management in recovery. Set me up for a blood patch which should give instant relief. Went in for that on Wednesday. Basically they put an epidural needle in your back and then draw blood and inject it into that. Sounds straightforward enough. Unfortunately, it was pretty rough. The insertion of the epidural needle was uncomfortable as he hit nerves several times. This set me up for a day of rather bad back spasms. Then they went to draw my blood, and no one could get it. I still squirm thinking about how many times they tried (about a dozen) and all the things I expereinced. I was nauseaus and lightheaded. I was certain I was going to pass out several times. It took so long that my back and neck began to really hurt. I am very bruised from all the attempts, but they finally managed to get enough blood and do the patch. My head felt instantly better, but the headache wasn't completely gone. In the days afterwards, I have had a constant headache, but each day seems better and it doesn't seem to get any worse during the day when I'm upright. I don't know what this all means, but will get the chance to ask my doctor on Thursday at my appointment. Jim has been off this week and has been very good about cooking for me and fetching me things. I'm getting no help in the housekeeping department though, which frustrates me as we are having company in a week. Kind of lonely around here too. Jim thinks feeding me and keeping me medicated is enough. Doesn't understand I need daily companionship too. Nate is trying to ignore what happened and Noah hasn't even bothered to call and check on me. What is wrong with guys?

My company is Mr. Abbott, my 5th grade music teacher. He was the first christian I ever knew and though I didn't understand at the time what that meant, he made me want what he had. He is stopping by on his way home from an elk hunt in Colorado. I haven't seen him in 23 years, since my wedding. I am so excited he is coming! Just hope he understands a messy house!!

We had our first snow last night. Got about 2-4 inches of heavy wet snow. It broke several big branches off of our very dead cherry tree. I asked Jim to cut it down this week, but he didn't.

Update on Nate: He got a second job. He is working a lot and I hardly ever see him. Still, he needs prayer for direction for his life. These jobs are not careers. We were also able to put him back on our health insurance starting in Janurary due to the new health care reform. Very thankful for that!

Post Surgery

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that I'm home recovering from my surgery. Everything went fine. The doctor said all the pathology came back normal too. I'm still sore and swollen, but that is to be expected. Hopefully I will be feeling like my old self; even better, soon! Jim took off next week, so I have someone to look after me. He is a good cook too. Otherwise, I'm just taking it easy. Would love to hear from you during this down time.

Happy Halloween

This month has just flown by! I'm saying that more often, so I must be officially old. We went to the pumpkin patch today. It was a fundraiser for the animal shelter in Blair, so Holly came along in her butterfly costume. She was robbed! She didn't win the costume contest in any of the categories. Furthermore, the dog that won the cute category was dressed in Husker gear! Come on!! Jim said he felt like a pageant dad on TLC. It was a fun day and hopefully enough was raised by the animal shelter for those new dog runs.

It turned cold this week, so we had to winterize the camper. Few more things to do before we take it to storage for the winter. Been working hard around the house. Reminds me of nesting before you have a baby, only I'm having surgery. Hopefully all will go well and I can recover quickly. Prayers are appreciated. My contractor wasn't able to get to my door and window, so he found someone else that could. He came and looked at it last week and should be back to install it next week. I also have a carpet cleaner coming to look at my dirty carpets and give me a price next week and have to call and schedule the roof project too. Busy Busy Busy....

BSF is going great. I am learning so much already. I've also tried a church that I really liked. Think I'll go back again tomorrow. Feels really good to be getting back on track.

Boys are all fine-nothing new to report with them except Jim is heartbroken over MSU's loss today.

Fall

Hello to anyone that follows this blog! It has been a long time since I posted anything and I apologize for that. We have been without a computer for awhile due to a virus.

Not much has happened since my last post. Holly's UTI's cleared up and we had her spayed. She has been healthy since then, and seems to finally be housebroken. She is a really good dog! Easy going, fun, low energy, very sweet. Everyone is in love with Holly! I caught Nathan talking to her the other day. He was telling her how she was the cutest dog EVER! He said he didn't want a dog like her because she was too little, but still, she was just the cutest dog he had ever seen. Funny to hear my 19 year old BOY gushing over my little fluff ball of a dog like that!! Holly is all ready for Halloween with her pink and purple butterfly costume. She has a couple of events to attend-pictures later.

Nate continues to work at PetSmart and Noah is at the bank and back to school. Noah won't graduate on time due to switching schools and majors. He will probably have an extra semester or two next year. Nate is still trying to figure out what to do with his life, but he has a good girl that loves him and motivates him. Carly is a real blessing to our family!

In August, I went to Illinois and spent a week with my sisters, nephew Conner, and niece Mya. We had so much fun. My sisters are the absolute best!! And my nephew and niece were EXCELLENT! They were so well behaved and unselfish. We stayed in a cabin together and hiked the canyons at Starved Rock State Park, took a paddle boat ride on the river, toured an old home, swam in the pool, enjoyed smores around the campfire. Mostly we acted silly and laughed and laughed and laughed. I wish everyone could be as blessed as I am-not one, but two awesome sisters!

We have taken several camping trips with our new RV this summer. We camped a week nearby. Had a spot right on the lake, so we were able to put the boat in and pull up right to the campsite. Most recently, we camped in Weston, MO and attended the Irish Festival. We enjoyed a day of fine Irish music, bagpipes, Celtic dancing, beer, Irish coffee, and shopping. I finally found a polish pottery berry bowl and some cute sterling silver Celtic knot earrings. The festival was fun, but very crowded due to the fantastic weather. Not enough port a potties and it was actually frightening to go down to the cellars to try and watch the bands performing there. One way in and out-a real fire hazard when they didn't limit the people. We only wound up going one of the three days, but it was fun! I just finished baking a batch of Guinness Stout brownies after tasting them at the fest. Yum! We are having such a perfect beautiful fall-hope to go camping one more time before we get the camper ready for winter storage.

Still having some work done on the house. Waiting for a window and sliding door to be installed and looking at getting a new roof with better insulation and ventilation. It's only money! I'm scheduled for surgery on November 4th. Having a hysterectomy-not looking forward to that, but hopefully will feel much better. Trying to get some things around, like housecleaning and my sewing machine repaired in preparation. Mr. Abbott, my 5th grade music teacher is coming for a brief visit a few weeks later. He is on his way to CO to go elk hunting. I am so excited to see him! I haven't seen him since my wedding. I started back to Bible Study Fellowship this fall. There is a new study of Isaiah that I wanted to do. So far it has been really good to be back.

So that is a quick update. Even though we are still looking for a computer, I will be better about updates! Feel free to leave comments!

Vacation

We are back from California and it was wonderful. We had a hotel right on the beach in Monterey, but it turned out to be too cold to really enjoy beach activities. The high temps were in the low 60's and very breezy. The first night we just walked the beach and had a simple dinner. The next day, we decided to take the 17 Mile Drive. This is a toll road that goes through Pebble Beach. It is very scenic and has lots of places to get out and look around. Turned out to be a beautiful and relaxing day. Afterwords, we checked out the beautiful beach at Carmel and walked around town. Carmel is simply charming-I'd love to go back. Back to Monterey for a romantic Italian dinner on the Wharf. We were up early the next morning for our whale watching adventure. We dressed warm-a t-shirt, sweater, fleece jacket, and another thicker fleece lined waterproof windbreaker we picked up in Carmel. We also were sure to take our Dramamine. I was thankful for both! The whale watching tour took 5 hours. We expected to see humpback and blue whales and perhaps an orca moving through. Turns out that orcas were in the area that day hunting, so the rest of the wildlife made themselves scarce. Besides the orcas, we did see some dolphins, albatross, and a few other sea birds. On the return trip we did spot a couple of blue whales. Went back and soaked in the hot tub for a long time and then needed a nap. There was a beach wedding at the hotel that night-very romantic and beautiful. The next morning I got up and walked the beach. Gathered some sea glass as a souvenir. As we were checking out, the cloud cover finally began to break up and the sun was shining. It was supposed to be a gorgeous day-of course! We took the scenic route up through the mountains to San Jose. Stopped in Big Basin State Park and hiked through the amazing redwoods. You really can't begin to imagine how large those trees can be until you see them up close and in person. Made it to San Jose in time to freshen up and attend a reception. In the past I was always welcome, but this year I had to pay $75. Jim figured there would be lots of wine to sample for that price! What a waste of money-two wines and four appetizers (two of which were seafood, and I don't like seafood). There is usually enough that it covers us for dinner that first night, but not this time! The next day, while Jim was in his conference, I walked around San Jose and sat at the pool. We had a fantastic Mexican dinner that night. Very different Mexican-from the Oxacan region. Delicious mole sauces. The next day a couple of other wives and I drove to the Winchester Mystery House. I think from what I learned, Sarah Winchester must have been mentally ill and she wound up living a very fearful, sad, wasted life. Her husband and only daughter died and she inherited the Winchester fortune. She began to consult mediums who told her the spirits were angry with her and she must move west and build on a house to appease them. So she did, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for 28 years. She would hold a seance every night and build whatever the spirits told her to build-so there are many unusual features to the house. We went back to our hotel and decided to walk to Japan town-a 5 block walk. It was more like 10 blocks and not worth the walk, so we took the trolley back to the hotel. Another new experience! That night we enjoyed another delicious dinner-southern cuisine. Jim had some sweet potato grits that were to die for! The next day I decided to go to a movie and I spent the afternoon reading and sunning myself at the pool. We went to dinner with a couple of other guys from the conference at a Cuban place. Very authentic and excellent! Good thing I only eat twice a day and do a lot of walking when we take these trips! Jim got done with the conference early the next day and we went to a free outdoor concert in the park. It was a great place to people watch, if you know what I mean! It was also very enlightening to watch how many people needed to take their "medicine" while at the concert. Medicinal marijuana is legal in CA, but I never thought that people would be doing it in a public place surrounded by police, and that would be ok because they had a "prescription"!

On the home front-Nate did not pass his classes and will not be going to college in the fall. Noah hurt his ankle/knee at the lake while we were gone. Still waiting to see if it will heal up on it's own or if something more needs to be done. My dog's infection finally cleared up, but we boarded her while we were gone and now she has another infection. Jim has several other trips he has to take for work this month-so much for camping! And finally, we had new gutters installed on the house. Not exciting, but it needed to be done and looks so much better. So what is new with all of you?

Opening for Elvis

They rescheduled the Summer Reading Program Kickoff, so as I left work and hustled over to that I sent up a quick prayer. "Please God, let me find a place to park in the library lot." My hip was hurting all day and I just didn't think I had it in me to gimp any farther than I had to. "And please God, help me to play well today. I am bone tired and haven't had any time to practice. I don't want to make mistakes and embarrass my band mates." As I drove into the library parking lot, not only did one spot open up, but two! "God, you are so generous-I have my pick of spots." We set up for our performance as the magician played to a full house on the opposite side of the room. We had to be very quiet, so as not to disturb him. No warm up time. So imagine my surprise as I went to play my first song and NOTHING would come out. I suppose if I blew hard enough, I could have managed a squeak or a squawk. I looked the old girl over, and found a couple of loose screws, so I tightened them down and was sure that had taken care of the problem. NOTHING, still.....I had to laugh at the way God answered that prayer. It must be that I was going to stink it up that day, so He just prevented me from playing! And in case you are wondering how this ties into my title for this entry, Elvis performed after us!

Holly went for her urine recheck. If I had to guess, I would say the infection has not cleared, but we have to wait a few days for the results. She finally seems to be getting the hang of ringing the bell to go outside. Did it on her own several times this week. Just been busy putting the kitchen back together and cleaning up mess. We bought bar stools-and I love them! Haven't got Nate's grades yet......It has been rainy. Our yard is full of weeds and bugs.

That is all that is new for now. Keep commenting-I love to hear from you!

Good News

My biopsy came back with all samples benign. Very thankful! Got my toes painted today. Bright red-reminds me of mom, with glittery sparkle-reminds me of dad. I'm happy.

Quickie

Have just a little time before work today, so thought I'd write. Kitchen is done! Yeah!! I have all but one box unpacked and put away. Pictures will be posted soon. Holly has an e-coli infection in her bladder. I'm so thankful it is something treatable and not a tumor or defect. She is finishing up a longer round of antibiotics and then back to the vet for another clean urine sample (which she does not like). I had some calcifications show up in my mammogram this year, and a biopsy was recommended. I did a needle biopsy yesterday-nerve wracking, but not too painful. I am feeling pretty good today. Should have the results today or tomorrow. We went camping again this weekend. Close to home this time. Had some beautiful weather, so we floated in the lake and played on the sandbar in the river. Jim fished a little and we rode our new bikes. I put a basket on my bike and Holly even rode with us. She's no water dog (gets chilly easily), but she did enjoy playing in the river. You can't even tell she was groomed a week ago, she is so grubby. Bath time today! I was supposed to play my clarinet at the Summer Reading Kickoff last night, but right as I was supposed to leave, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued. It was quite a storm, but I'm thankful we had minimal hail and not much damage. It sure did rain hard though. I'm glad I wasn't sitting outdoors on a stage when that hit!! The busy season is upon us at work-I came home exhausted yesterday. Story times don't start until next week, so it will be even busier then. Noah is off again with his girlfriend, Kristine. Nate is taking his finals this week. So that's about all I know for now. Until I have more time.....

Overdue

Hello everyone. This has been the longest period of time I have gone without updating my blog. As you can guess, it has been quite busy. The kitchen remodel got started, and it has been trying. It should be wrapping up next week though! It looks amazing. Our bathroom remodels are lovely, but it looks more like an update. The kitchen looks completely different as we painted the cabinets and added an island. The bathroom remodels didn't seem as painful because we did them one at a time and still had a functional bath. Also, not as much stuff to unload and store during that time. It has been hard to be without a kitchen for almost 2 1/2 months and the mess is a little overwhelming. I am not complaining, because I am so thankful to be able to do this, just letting you know what it has been like.

The other big news around here is the new addition to our family. Her name is Holly and we brought our puppy home in March. It is like having a baby again! We have spent so much time and energy potty training, teaching commands, walking, and playing. She is a really good and smart dog and we love her immensely. Recently she has developed a potty problem and the vet is trying to figure out what is going on. So we are on our third round of antibiotics. Poor thing. Holly is a MalShi, so she will only get to be about 8 lbs. I have found I prefer having a small dog! She also does not shed, which I also like!

Other family news includes Nathan getting a job at Pet Smart. He cares for all the small animals (feeding, cleaning cages). He seems well liked and they are giving him good hours and training him for other positions. He also signed up for 15 CR at the local community college. One class didn't work out well, but hopefully he will finish strong in the other two. Noah did go to Vegas over spring break with his buddies. He is back together with his on again/off again girlfriend and visiting her in Minneapolis this week. He moved and lives in a nice new house in a much safer neighborhood. Noah is not coming home again this summer. He has a good job at the bank and is taking 3 summer classes to try and graduate on time. Jim and I went to the Pella Tulip Festival last weekend. It was something I wanted to do for years. Unfortunately, the weather was really cold and windy and rainy. Still we made the most of it and enjoyed what we did see. We especially enjoyed the Dutch pasteries! Jim and I bought some new bikes. They haven't got much use yet due to the weather, but looking forward to better days. We are busy making summer plans. Hopefully getting together with family and another trip to CA in the works. And of course, more camping with our new (used) camper. Then in the fall, I will be having surgery again. Time for a hysterectomy. Really not looking forward to that!

So that is about all I can think of right now. Thanks for taking the time to read about what is new with our family. It means you love us and care about what is going on and that means so much to me!

New Wild Olive Tee

Go to www.wildolivetees.com to order the new Hope for Haiti tee. It is really gorgeous and 100% of the proceeds will go to help the people of Haiti through Eyes Wide Open International.

Valentines Day

We keep plowing through the month (literally-it won't stop snowing), even though I'm stuck in LOW. That's right, still having trouble with SAD, but I've been exercising and it does seem a little better. Still moving in slow motion trying to pack the kitchen, but I had to buy more boxes so I am making progress. My Valentines plans are to go to see the musical Chicago with friends. Don't know if Jim will be adding to those plans or not? Here is a picture of the current love of my life. Isn't she so cute! I am like a new momma buying stuff for my baby to come home. I hope I'm ready for it all!

Not much else is new to tell. I have been working hard on finding a sink/faucet combination that will work. I find the sink at a good price, and the faucet I have picked out won't work. I find a faucet that will work, and it is VERY expensive. I finally found my faucet the other day, and now I found the perfect sink, but it is pretty expensive. I should just buy it and stop going round and round-I have other things I need to move on to. Things like tile and hardware and disposal and lights.....and laundry and bills and vacuuming and cleaning the bathrooms.....maybe that is why I have SAD-I lead such an exciting life!

Jim had a quick business trip to San Jose. He came home yesterday and promptly tossed his cookies. Despite all the spraying and disinfecting, my stomach isn't feeling too well today. Nate is also sick. Went to the doctor and is now on medicine for a sinus infection. He also went to the community college and got more information about attending in the spring. He made an appointment for testing next week and then he can sign up. I hope all goes well there. Noah was home overnight this week for a dentist appointment. Quick trip, but always good to see him.

I really need to start getting stuff around for my taxes. Haven't even started. Noah wants his tax refund pronto, so he can go to Vegas for spring break. Nate was disappointed he isn't getting anything back. They didn't take anything out! He is still looking for a job and getting very discouraged (which means he isn't looking very hard because he has given up hope). Pray he finds a job soon.

Well that's about all for now. Have lots to do, so better keep doing it! To leave a comment, just click on the comment button at the bottom of this post. I LOVE comments.

Rough January

I'm having a hard time this year. I usually suffer with a little SAD during January and into February, but this year has been the worst. Perhaps because the weather has been extra gloomy or maybe it is just me, but all I want to do is lay in bed and sleep. And I can't even do that comfortably, due to my back pain from shoveling snow! Consequently, I haven't accomplished much, and I really need to. I only have one cupboard unloaded in the kitchen, I haven't even looked at tile, and I need to buy a sink and garbage disposal and lights and faucets and hardware....... I'm behind on laundry and paperwork AGAIN. I really need to SNAP OUT OF IT! At least I have an idea of what I want to do now. The brightest spot of my month has been the pictures and video of my new puppy. She is getting big and fat! We named her Holly and pick her up sometime in March. I've been reading training books and buying some gear getting ready for her to come home. Jim is still not very excited-he feels emasculated because she is not a big hunting dog. He will love her to pieces once she gets here though! I've gone Miche bag crazy this month. Invested in a black purse and three shells. It's working so well for me, I just ordered a brown bag and four more shells. If you don't know what a Miche bag is, it is a purse that has interchangeable shells on the outside. They attach with strong magnets, so instead of changing your purse, you just change the shell. I'm just getting rid of all other purses.....according to my guys, what do I need all of them for anyhow? I've downloaded a couple of books on my Kindle and I love it! I need to get a protective cover though-it isn't very cool carrying it around in the cardboard box right now! It is super easy to order and so lightweight to hold and read.

Haven't heard much from Noah since Christmas. He's busy with 18 credits (I think) and working closer to 30 hours a week. He is planning on going to Las Vegas with his friends for spring break. We'll see..... Nate is still struggling with his job hunt and some consequences are starting to come down, which is prompting unrest in our house. He says he is going to sign up for classes in the spring. Again, we'll see.....My job is going fine, but the city is already having some financial woes, so I'm feeling uncertain about my future. I hope I'm not facing what I went through last year. That really took a toll. Sometimes I think about finishing off my degree, but it would be tough financially with both boys in school, and I'm getting OLD. Well I should get off the computer and get to work. Please leave a comment if you read this blog. Sometimes I feel I am doing all this and no one even looks at it!