Happy Heavenly Birthday, Dad

My Dad would be 71 years old today.  But, today he is celebrating his second birthday in heaven.  Look at that his smile.  He always smiled, he was funny, a great husband to my mom, a dad to me and my brothers, he was the BEST dad, he was a father in law to my best sister-in-laws and most of all he was a papa.  He sure enjoyed being a papa and loved his grandkids.  He would do anything for you.  You are so missed.  I love you, Dad and would do anything to hear your voice and see your smile again !!

My mom and I will be going to the butterfly garden today.  He was cremated and his ashes were spread around the butterfly garden at the church.  Again, Dad, your whole family misses you so much.  I love you!

Are You Getting Tired Of My Long Updates ?

Ok, here goes !!  What a busy week !!  Remember neighbor, Cathy ?!?!?  Okay, well I am still helping she and Jason.  I spent all day with them, where my surgeon is, 90 miles round trip, on Tuesday.  She is still having 'female' problems.  The urologist wanted to do a peek and see into her bladder.  I will save you the long story and cut to the details, we left at 10:00 and got home at 8:00 on Tuesday.  All is good.  Nothing found !!  :)   On Wednesday, spent the day in St. Louis, left at 8:00 and got home at 5:30.  Roy had an appointment with the surgeon who did his head and neck surgery.  No lumps and no bumps !!  Can you say happy ?!?!?!?  He doesn't seem him for two years !!  Had 2 1/2 hours between appointments, we ran to my favorite store, Catherine's, real close to Washington University.  They had all of there 'new' end of the summer clothes, markdown and then another 40% off !!  I got a cute shirt, jacket and pair of paints !!  It is going to Florida with me !!  Thursday, I had an appointment and running around like C R A Z Y for my mom.  Buying her Christmas cards, paper, eye drops, stamps and stuff like that.  Also, breakfast bars for me and a few snacks.  She hasn't been to the grocery store since I left in August.  All of her meals are provided for her.  But, she likes to eat breakfast in her room.  I know all of the stuff that I bought for her before I left is gone and I know she doesn't go down to eat.  I do send her a box of food a month.  So, in other words, I can't wait to get down there to access this whole situation !!!!!! 

Back to Thursday, I saw my psychiatrist.  Remember, I am bipolar and was having some mania problems.  All is good and I am fine.  Just taking my mood stabilizer.  :)  But, I did say..... that he had gotten the high speed internet, and I was really... really spending tooo much time on FB.  We talked about it.  He asked how much?!?!?  I will just say... that is what a lot !!!!  So, you won't see me much on FB anymore, at least for a trial.  I really genuinely care about people and I have this 'thing' that I have to check FB to see what is happening.  We all do it right ?!?!?!?  I even check when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom !!!  So, enough is enough !!  I am going to spend more time blogging !!  :)    I am not leaving FB, but not checking in so much or frequently.   Also, on our plan with high speed internet plan, that he currently have, I am only allowed 5 gig's of allowance a month.  That is a lot.  But, I did go over my first month !!  Too much online time !!  I have a friend who also has this and I told her, she said she never comes close, asked me how many games and movies that I downloaded and I didn't do any of that !! 

Oh, I know I am jumping around.  But, remember my Mom doesn't know anything about my breast reduction surgery !!!  What do you think she is going to say ?!?!?!?!!  Any ideas ?!?!?!  I see her this Tuesday at 3:00.  I went from a 40FF to a 40B !!!!  Okay, let's play a game and let's see who guess's what she might say ?!?!

I had a friend suggest to me to call Mary Kay to see what I could do with all this product that I have.  I did and I can return it for 90% of my money !!  I got the form today, so when I get home, I just have to take inventory, sign the paper that I am giving up my Mary Kay thing and returning my inventory.  I am so happy !!  I just have to talk to my director.  I will cross that bridge when I get home.

Ok, I have something else I want an opinion on.  I hope this works !!  When I was in Florida, I bought this wig.   Above.  See my wonderful SIL, Jane.  She met me at the airport when I got back just to take a picture of me in my new wig that I got. 

Since I have been home, I have gotten this one, above.  See, flat chest ?!?!?!  LOL  Ok, my mom doesn't know that I have this one.  She will probably hate it, that is just the way she is.  She hated the one above it.  But, anyway, I am going to take tons of pictures and I don't want to freak people out, 'if' I put them on FB, (why should I care?!?!), so, which wig should I wear ?!?!?!  (See, the least I tell my mom, the better !!  I have learned this since the last few months.)

and... least but, not last.... yesterday was the weigh in for the VIRTUAL BIGGEST LOSER COMPETITION !!  My friend, blogging buddy, and FB friend. Lauren, is hosting the contest !!  There is a monetary prize for the virtual biggest loser at the end.  I am suppose to weigh in each Friday and say if I loss/gain/or stayed the same.  But, next Friday I am in Florida and my mom doesn't have a scale.  So, I will weigh in in two weeks.  

So, to recap, you probably won't see me on FB as 'frequently' or as much.  This is really going to be H A R D !!!  I really am like a druggie with an addiction.  What do you think my mom is going to say about my breast reduction ?!?!  What wig do you think I should wear, the one my mom knows that I have, or my new one ?!?  (Remember, I am just asking because of pictures on FB) 

Thanks for your opinions on this post !!  :)  I will do a post while I am in Florida.  Oh, my mom doesn't know that I blog !!  LOLOL 

My Mom

I haven't been around much the past few days.  My mom lives in Florida and on Tuesday she had a TIA.  A TIA, is a little stroke or a mini stroke.  She has had a couple in the past.  Thank goodness she was with her best friend at the doctor for her knee.  Yes, she is still having lots and lots of pain from her knee replacement.  What happened on Tuesday is that after her appointment, she and her friend were walking out of the building and they had just walked into the sun and my mom said that she got dizzy.  My mom's friend grabbed her and she about fell.  My mom's friend said that my mom's body went one way and her legs went the other.  Another couple was coming out of the building and saw that my mom's friend needed help.  My mom's friend told them to call 911.  My mom's friend got her to the bench.  But, my mom almost fell.  The 911 squad came and checked her out.  Her friend told them that she has had TIA's before.  They put her on the stretcher and put her in the rescue squad and did an EKG.  My mom's friend said that her kids would feel better if they would take her to the hospital, but my mom would not go.  The paramedics checked her over and said since she wouldn't go that they felt she was okay.  My mom's friend took her back to where she lives.  She went in there and told the wellness coordinator what happened.  She escorted my mom to the dining room to eat.  My mom's friend called me when she got home and said, "Your Mom is fine, BUT.........."  Have you ever got one of those calls ?!?!?  Oh, how your stomach sinks and you get lumps in your throat.  So, my mom called me after lunch and I immediately said, how are you?!??!?!  I said I know what happened, that Mrs. Church had called.  She said that she was tired, which is always the case after these.  She told me she wanted to rest and I told her that I would call her in an hour and a half to see if she would answer the phone.  Basically to see if she was alive.  She did answer the phone.  WHEW !!  It just so happened that she had an appointment with her cardiologist on Wednesday (yesterday).  Come to find out, she hasn't been taking her baby aspirin, her cholesterol medicine and one of her high blood pressure medicines.  Her cardiologist is going to do a carotid artery scan on her neck.  Those are the arteries in your neck that supply blood to your head and neck.  The soonest that test can be done is November 19. 

My brother's and I have a lot of decisions we have to make now.  My dad has been dead almost 2 years.  We can't have the stress in our lives having her over 1,000 miles away.  She said that she hasn't been taking those 3 medicines since she had the knee surgery.  She said she was told to stop.  Why or when or if she was told to stop them, we do not know.  Having her with us we would know all of this.  I go down to see her November 9.  This will probably be the toughest trip that I will ever make in my life.  Knowing what her future looks like.  She doesn't want to move closer to us.  She wants to be with her friends.  She and my dad retired in Florida over 20 years ago.  My mom doesn't drive anymore since her first stroke.  She has friends, she has church friends and other organizations that she belongs to that she has friends in.  It is going to be hard.  But, Mrs. Church said to present it like this.  Tell her that it is too hard on us kids to have her so far away and the stress that it puts on us.  She has really gone down hill since she had her knee replaced.  It is just hard being the only daughter in this situation.  It is time for her to be with us and she isn't going to understand, I am afraid.  We will find her a nice place.  We will let her have input to were she will live.  It is not like we are putting her in prison or anything.  She just needs to be with us kids, so we can take her to her appointments.  Manage her medicine, etc.  The time is come, the hard thing to do now is to tell her.  Hard... hard.. hard !!!!!!!! 

Thanks for listening !!  :)