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?