exhale

The soothing satisfaction of being able to exhale. 
I was uptight, nervous, and short of breath. As Christmas was looming I was fretting.  Would this Holiday be as disastrous as Thanksgiving?  Was I going to be a tearful emotional mess again? Or was I going to be okay this Holiday?


With prayer, I woke with a gentle warmth in my heart and a strength in my soul. I was okay with this Holiday.

The day flowed with funny mishaps but no pain.

I burnt the ham... I burnt the corn.... I burnt the rolls. Seriously? Who does that?  I NEVER burn things. But my sweet Family laughed with me and ate it.

Dad had a spike in his blood sugar.  A very high spike... But with insulin we got him back to normal.



jan annie sheri 12.25.12

Later in the evening Annie & I talked Sheri into going to a movie. Parental Guidance. Sweet little funny movie.  I spilled two not just one over sized Diet Cokes on myself at two different times.  Before giving myself a hard time over this... I will say that three other folks in the theater did also so I totally blame the flimsy over sized cups not the user. Hanging with Annie & Sheri was such a wonderful thing.  We laughed. A lot.  Annie's snort laugh.  Sheri's squeal with tears. And my gasping guffaw.

The weather held back. Giving us a warm day perfect for transporting Dad to my house. Waiting to bring us the beautiful snow the next morning. We got a beautiful display of white blanket, along with wicked winds.  The snow photograph at the top of the post, is of a snow overhang from our roof.  So pretty.

My Mom was all around me this Christmas. 


sis mom me...a few years back

It was not sad.  It was not manic. It was her sweetness. Her softer side.  The fun... the love. 

I was able to enjoy this Christmas.. and that is huge.

I miss my Mom.  I miss the good times, not the manic. 

But, it's all good.  I'm able to breathe, I'm able to exhale.

Independence Day ~ Appendix Night

This is Annie, when she was seven. She always loved the 4th of July. Loves the fireworks. Loves the cookouts. Being with family and friends. This year she didn't have huge plans. Just some simple plans with Nathan and friends. She was looking forward to them, but they did not pan out.

She did spend the day with family and Nathan, but in the hospital instead of a cookout.

Friday night she complained of a stomach ache. We all thought it was from her sandwich. By the morning she was clutching her stomach & sides. Crying and trying to make herself throw up. Something just did not feel right. So we headed to the Emergency Room. Got there at 10:00am on the Fourth of July.

From her symptoms, they did not think it was food poisoning, rather her Appendix or Ovarian Cyst. So, Annie had blood work done, then a pelvic exam. Then we moved on to a CAT Scan. Finally an Ultra-Sound. The Doctors were a little baffled. She had an enlarged appendix, but they also had difficulty finding her right ovary and concerns about the size. She also have fluid in her pelvis. So, it could have been an ovarian cyst that burst, or could be a small ovary and an appendix about to burst. A surgeon was called in. The decision was agreed that they would do a scope through her belly button, evaluate and then remove the appendix unless that was not the culprit.

At 9:30pm, they removed Annie's enlarged, hardened appendix.

She is recovering very well. She is in some pain and discomfort, but doing very well. She was released a couple of hours ago (4:30pm).

I am so grateful we had the good sense to take her to the ER. I am so grateful for the dedicated, kind and loving staff at St Francis Hospital (South Campus). They cared for Annie as if she were family. They treated us wonderfully as well.
Not exactly the plans for the 4th of July. Sergio, Emily, Nathan, and I gathered around her, hung out, laughed and waited. Nathan, is a sweetie. He left friends on what could have been a fun night to stay by her side. He is with her now, hanging out, by her side.