Reynolds Rap

Guess what mom, we are still alive!

2011-10-03T19:05:00.000-05:00

Mom has sworn for years that I don't know how to cook. That always made Tom mad, because I love to cook if I don't have her standing over my shoulder telling me what to do all the time. I just gave up. So, we have been living alone for 2 weeks now, and we are both still alive...and not hungry! I do know how to cook!!!

Where have I been you ask???

2011-10-01T20:05:00.001-05:00

Well, a lot has been happening in my life. I can't go into detail for most of it, but has been VERY stressful to say the least. Tom and I are starting a new life together and working on issues that we have and trying to move on with our lives. It is proving to be a good move for us, I feel. But, it is a work in progress.

At first, we had decided to move to Kansas City to start this new life. So, I got my resume out there and got a job with the 2nd interview I had. Pretty good odds, I think. We had a house lined up and put our notice in at work. My boss cried (and so did I!!) but she accepted it and was happy for me. She knows what is going on in my life and wanted the best for us. Well, after some serious discussions, we decided that we really needed to stay here for several reasons. I talked to my boss and she was very happy that I told her that I was going to stay...for now. I told her a year but she is determined to make it last 2 decades!! We will have to see about that. So, for now...I am still at OTSCON and Tom is unemployed.

After calling both the folks who owned the house we were suppose to move into (sorry again Beth & Lucas) and the new job we started looking for a place to live. We knew that we had to move from the house we were living in and to a new house. So, after looking at one house, we found one that was right around the corner from mom and believe it or not Kris!!! We have moved into Columbia and so far (only 2 weeks) love it. We are learning what it is like to have neighbors (our neighbor happens to be the vice-president of OTSCON!), noise, and traffic. We are so stoked about having high-speed Internet, cable, and pizza delivery!! It doesn't take much to made old people happy.

Alayna is happy that we are staying in Columbia. She has a room at our new house. She stays here about 1/2 of the time. She likes riding her bike here, but has not been here long enough to make any new friends. We are in a different school district so she doesn't know any of them.

Mom is pretty happy living alone, but found out how lonely it is without someone to talk to everyday. I think it will get better as time goes on, but it will take a little bit to get used to the quiet!

I guess that is enough update for now.

Waiting for the week-end...

2011-05-26T19:19:00.000-05:00

I am so glad that the week-end is almost here. I know I need it - really bad. We are going to be busy for part of it, but hope to spend Sunday watching the races and chillin' out.

Kristi and Alayna are heading down to West Plains to see some good friends. They will be there all week-end and are looking forward to fishing, visiting, and hanging out. Kristi has put in a lot of overtime in the last few weeks and really needs a break. I think this will be good for both of them.

I am not sure about Brian and what he is doing - have not talked to him a lot lately. He has been putting in a lot of overtime as well.

Oma is going to sew this week-end and keep up with her growing hummingbird collection.

Tom and I are going to couples night tomorrow night at the ceramics studio. We have become addicted to that studio. We love to get something and just let our imagination run wild. Tom has been working on a LARGE 4 piece light house. It is going to be beautiful. I am going to work on a stepping stone. I am not sure what else. On Saturday, we are going to a car show in Jefferson City.

Hope you all have great week-ends planned.

Guess it is time for an update!

2011-05-17T14:05:00.000-05:00

I am really not sure why I don't update more often. I am on the computer a lot, but seem to be on Facebook or playing cards. I don't know why I don't just do an update.

We have really been having trouble adjusting to our new life with Tom home in the evenings. I didn't think we had gotten into such a routine until it up and changed. So, after about 6 weeks we are slowly getting into a new routine. It has been difficult for Tom and I as well. We had really forgotten that we were married with never seeing each other. Something I never thought we would experience.

We have started going back to church. I didn't realize that I missed it so much. We have not found a church home yet, but are working on finding the right one for us. Kristi and Alayna have been going to Uncle Bob's church and Oma has been going back to the Lutheran church. We have had to miss 2 weeks and I am ready to go back on Sunday. That is a good thing.

Alayna has been struggling with her weight. She has the opposite problem as her mother and I - she can't seem to gain weight due to her ADD medicine. We have had to resort to medicine-free weekends to help her gain weight. She did a lot better - gained 3 lbs in a month. However, the family goes through hell on the week-ends. She is a wild child! She is almost done with 1st grade, and has made progress in the right direction thanks to the medicine. We have a parent-grandparent-teacher conference tomorrow night to check her progress before school is out. This way we can find out how far behind she still is and what we will be looking forward to once school starts again. She got all her hair cut off and FINALLY lost one of her top front teeth last week.

Kristi is finally done with school for the summer. She needed a break. She wants to spend a lot more time with Alayna - and we want that as well. Tom and I have a lot of things we want to do together and hope to be able to re-connect and do some stuff as well. I think Alayna needs some "mommy-time" as well. It will help all involved. Kristi and Alayna plan on going to see their good friends Lacy and Kevin in West Plains over Memorial day. This will be a good get-away.

Oma is doing well. Is not feeling well at all, but when you are 80 everything hurts!! She was trying to walk into the house today and nearly fell. All of the sudden a pain shot through her hip and she couldn't move. She is still quilting and has made several to give away as graduation gifts. We want to go to Arkansas again to check on the graves, but neither of us really want to go. So, this has been put on hold.

Brian has been really busy with work. They have a project to complete by a deadline and I am not totally sure they are going to make it without a lot of overtime. Last week he said he worked 65 hours. He is dead on his feet some days. He is getting ready for his vacation - 8 days in Mexico. He is in a destination wedding and is really looking forward to getting away. He finally gets to use his passport!

I have not been in my scrapbook room in about a month. I have been so busy with other stuff that I just have not gotten to spend time in there. I hope to be able to get back in there soon. We are going to help a friend down the street with her garden. This way we can both benefit from the fresh veggies. We need them since Alayna is a veggie freak!! She asked for spinach the other night! That is my girl.

Tom and I are going to the air show on Saturday of Memorial week-end. Then, the next week-end is the race at Kansas. We have several other things around here we want to do, but other than that we will be at home. Ready for some quiet time.

Medically, we are not the perfect family....

2011-04-14T19:19:00.000-05:00

This has been a bad week - medically for our family here in Columbia. It started on Monday when I had to have an emergency visit to the dentist. I know you are jealous, you wanted to be in the dentist chair didn't you? Go ahead and admit it. Anyway, back to my saga...One of my temporary fillings fell out and was starting to hurt. The dentist put in another temporary filling because my dental insurance will not allow another root canal until July - really, that is when my FSA money is renewed. So, I hope this temporary filling last until July 5th. It does feel a lot better now.

Then on Tuesday morning, I got up and Oma was sitting in her chair. I could tell she wasn't feeling well and sure enough her heart had been doing the cha-cha. She told me that she was going to stay quiet for the day. I told her if needed, call me and I would come home and take her to the doctor. We think the issue was that she had to stop her blood thinner to get a shot in her back on Monday. So, we are hoping that it will get better with the restarting of her medicine. She is feeling better today.

On Tuesday night, Tom told me that he thought I was contagious because his eye was watering and really itchy. He used me allergy eye drops and thought that would help. On Wednesday morning as soon as I got to work Tom was waiting for me. He looked terrible. Right eye swollen almost shut, watering terribly, and very itchy. He said that he couldn't see very well either. I couldn't believe that he said he was going to the doctor. He must have been hurting. After our family doctor took one look at his eye, he told Tom that he was not leaving and needed to see a specialist right away - there was something wrong with his eye and it needed to be seen right away. After about an hour of Tom sitting in the room with the lights out (light made it worse) the doctor had an appointment with a specialist - right away.

On to the specialist he went and I met him there. After about an hour, finally a diagnosis of a ulcer on his cornea. Very serious and if it doesn't get treated right away then it could lead to emergency surgery and a cornea transplant. So, he got drops to put in his eyes every two hours and ice packs until he sees the doctor the next day.

Today, we went back and both ulcers are looking very well. One is healed and the other is about 1/2 way healed. He said that eyes heal very quickly, but it was good that Tom seaked treatment right away. He goes back in one week to make sure - unless he gets worse.

After I got back to work from Tom's appointment, Kristi called and asked if it was OK that one of her legs is very swollen and warm. I told her "NO" it is not ok, call the doctor right away. This could be serious. So, she headed off to the doctor who suspected a blood clot. Luckily, no clot but she is still having issues today. She is going to call the doctor back to see what to do next. This is very concerning.

Tomorrow, Alayna has her month ADD appointment. We are praying that she has not lost any weight, otherwise the doctor will be VERY upset. She can't afford to lose anymore weight. Otherwise, the medicine is doing a wonderful job.

So, Brian is the only one that is still pain free! Let's keep it that way.

Sunset in Louisville.

2011-04-14T18:55:00.000-05:00

While we were at dinner the last night in Louisville we ate at a really nice restaurant and it was perfect - all meals under $10 and the food was great. This is one of the pictures that Tom took that night.

The Tsunami has hit us in Columbia

2011-04-06T19:34:00.000-05:00

Well, it took a month, but the effects of the disaster in Japan has struck here. Tom and I work at a Japanese automotive OEM (Original equipment manufacturing) company. We make parking brakes for cars that are mfg in North America. Well, the car companies have dropped their production to nearly nothing resulting in a reduction in workforce. We released all our temps on Tuesday and asked for volunteers to take a lay-off until at least July 8th. Also, 2nd shift was cancelled and the OTSCON employees have been moved to 1st shift. So, Tom is going to start working daytime hours as of Monday. This is wonderful news for us for a short time, and just about the time we get used to these hours they will move him (I have a feeling).

At this time we both still have jobs, but I don't know what the future holds. But, for awhile we will be a family again!

Day 2 in Louisville

2011-04-02T17:09:00.000-05:00

Lets put it this way, I am exhausted. I got up this morning before everyone else, so I went down to the workout room. Spent 30 minutes on Elliptical and 15 mins on treadmill. After showers, we headed out to drop Tom off at the truck show. I was not really happy with them. They made me pay $8 to drop him off. I was not a happy camper and told that lady such. It would have been quicker and easier to drop Tom off at the corner and let him walk. There were probably a million people there - I really don't think I am kidding either!

Alayna and I headed over to the zoo. It was not as good as we expected, but we did walk through the whole zoo. Tom had our good camera, so I had Kristi's and it is not good in the sun. You can't see what you are taking a picture of because you have to look at the LCD on the back of the camera. We got a couple of good pictures though, but not very many.

After we were done at the zoo, we went to Archivers and then to Toys R Us. Then started the adventure to try to find Tom. He was dropped off at a gas station - not like there is only 1 in Louisville! I had my IPhone going crazy with streets. He was on Preston and I typed in Poplar. Once I figured out my error, we went right to him. Boy, was I happy to see him!!!

He really enjoyed the truck show, only took 829 pictures. I think he will have to go back :).

We are now at the hotel, watching scooby doo and waiting to leave for dinner on the river again. We are going to another restaurant - and this time Tom will bring the camera. Alayna has been an excellent girl today. Very patient, even when I was about to tears trying to find Tom. She told me that it would be ok, we would find him - and we did.

Dinner on the banks of the Ohio river.

2011-04-01T21:56:00.001-05:00

We went back into Indiana tonight and had dinner. She took her mom's camera and took some pictures. Most of these are her handiwork.

The skyline is Louisville.

My seamstress grandchild

2011-04-01T21:34:00.001-05:00

This week was spring break for Alayna and to keep her from getting bored, Oma got a sewing box together for her to use. It had pins, needles, thread, etc. Alayna also had Oma's box of scraps. She made several doll dresses, one of which was a suit for her barbie. She has a good attention to detail and does everything from her memory. She is very creative.

She got in trouble for going through the 80 fat quarters that Oma got for her birthday, so I went to Jo-Ann's and picked her up a 5 or 6 fat quarters. She was very excited! She took the material, pinned the edges, and sewed this multi-tier skirt. I was so impressed. She did this all by her self while Oma took an afternoon nap.

I really think we have something with her. I am going to take her to a fabric store down here to see if they have a few pieces that she might want to make something out of. I am thinking of getting her a kid sewing machine for her birthday.

Night before the big day...

2011-03-18T19:51:00.000-05:00

Well, tonight is the last night that my mother will be in her 70's. Tomorrow, she begins the 80th year of her life on earth. She has seen so much in her lifetime and has watched so many of her relatives pass before her.

I have been working on a birthday party for her for about 6 weeks now. I am really surprised that she has not figured it out yet. She know that she is going to lunch tomorrow, but doesn't know about anything else. It is not going to be a huge party, but it will be nice to have family and friends there to give her well wishes.

I hope we don't need paramedics once she enters the room and finds out what is going on!

More about the party later.

Hello all...

2011-03-04T21:23:00.000-06:00

We have been busy little beavers. We went to Kansas City twice for birthday parties for 2 special 2-year old boys. It was nice to see everyone and wish that we saw these people more than just once or twice a year.

We have been healthy - except for Kristi who got a terrible flu bug and missed a week of work. She is finally back to normal. I really don't want to get sick, but we have so many people at work sick that I am surprised that I haven't gotten sick yet.

I have been trying to catch up on my scrapbooking. I am working on March 2009 now. So, I am only 2 years behind. I have several pages done that need journaling. I have crop to go to tomorrow, but I think I am going to stay at home and work on a few of these journaling items. I think I will get a lot more done here instead of trying to move my stuff there and back.

I am also going to try to call some of mom's friends for her birthday party. I finally got a room for us to have this party. It is amazing that she has not caught on yet! Thanks to my sister-in-law, Gail we now have a reason to go to the restaurant. I told her that Gail wanted to come down on her birthday and I told her that we needed to go out to lunch on that day. So, we can get her there fairly easy I think.

Alayna got an award at school today for her improvement in focusing. I am so glad that they did this, it shows Alayna that people are taking notice to her new learning habits. Now, we have to work on catching up with her peers. She has started painting - and loves it. When she is painting, she is totally involved in what she is doing. She wants it a certain way, and knows what she wants. She is very artistic and this really shows in her card making and painting. She is really interested in oil painting, but I have to work on that. She is treading on an area that I know nothing about.

What a difference the medicine has made.

2011-02-17T18:59:00.000-06:00

Went to Alayna's parent-teacher conference tonight. Really, it was grandparent-teacher(s) meeting (her mother is still very sick and at home in bed)!!! Her report card was amazing this quarter. She has come a long way from the first of the year. Last conference we were talking about her lack of focus and how it has hurt her ability to learn math, reading, and writing. This time the conference was totally different. We were talking about how far she has come since she started on her medicine the first week of January. We have noticed a change as well. She can scrapbook with me now and makes really neat cards and layouts. She also has become more accomplished in reading and writing. She is still not to the level of the other kids in her class, but is making great progress.

I am so proud of the change she has made in a short time. I wish the doctors would have listened to us a year ago when we tried to tell them that she was losing ground.

Exciting week-end

2011-02-16T19:07:00.000-06:00

This week-end we are going to Kansas City for Kane Shepard's 2nd birthday. He is the grandson of our friends Terri and Daryl from Denver. We are really excited to see Terri and Daryl, OK... and Kane.

Next week-end we are going back to Kansas City for Kolby Eiman's 2nd birthday. So much to do in the 2 days off, but we will have fun. Can't wait!!!

Kristi has the flu

2011-02-16T18:36:00.000-06:00

Poor girl has been sick since Sunday night. She has been throwing up and high fever and doesn't really care about anything! I don't want it - so we are staying away. We have had Alayna since Sunday night and won't take her back until her mom is totally feeling better - or when we get tired of her!!!

mom's visit to the doctor today

2011-02-16T18:33:00.000-06:00

Mom had an appointment today with her heart doctor. He said that she will see more of these "episodes" because of her age. Her heart is just tired, and can't always run right. The question lies in whether these are hurting her quality of life. He said that she probably has been having these for years, and they are now getting to the point that she is feeling them or noticing them more. He is going to up one of her medicines for now and she has to call him each time she has an issue. Then, he will analyzes the times and frequency when he sees her again. So, right now we are in a holding pattern. I am glad that he didn't dive right into surgery - but that is still a possibility.

A nice Valentines week-end

2011-02-13T15:03:00.000-06:00

We have had a nice week-end so far. We went to Grand Cru restaurant for a nice early dinner with my hubby and my mom. It was really nice, one of those places that you go to once in a while. After that, we went to Missouri United Methodist Church for an organ concert. I could sit and listen to that pipe organ for hours. We had a really nice time.

Today (Sunday) we all invaded Kristi's apartment for a much deserved BBQ...yes I said BBQ. We did hamburgers, hot dogs, and pork Steaks. Alayna made Gail's cheesy potatoes and so this make another generation that makes this wonderful dish. I think Aunt Gail would be proud of her. Granny and Grandpapa came over as well to enjoy some time with the family.

Now, we are watching You Tube stuff and visiting. What a nice way to spend the week-end.

What a way to start the week-end...

2011-02-12T11:11:00.000-06:00

On Friday morning about 3 am, mom's heart decided to act up again. She didn't wake me up but instead decided to go to her chair and see if it would get better. It did, but left her feeling run down and tired. So, she called the doctor (after I told her twice to do it before that) and they said to go to the ER to make sure her heart is behaving. After a few tests, they decided that her heart was doing fine now - and that she did have another episode. She had to go see her cardiologist on Monday. We will see what the doctor says this time. He said that she will have to have a pacemaker, so she may have this gadget before her 80th birthday.

We have rested this morning and are going to go have a nice dinner tonight (all 3 of us!) and then to the church for a organ concert. Tomorrow we are going to Kristi's house to help Alayna make a valentine dinner for her mom.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week-end and enjoy some time with your loved ones.

Scrap book

2011-02-10T20:24:00.000-06:00

I have been trying to catch up since I am so far behind on my photo's. I am currently working on March 2010, so I have made some progress. It would be a lot more progress if I didn't have a 7 year old helper, but she is learning.

I need to take pictures of the last few pages I have done. One spread is taking me about 2 weeks to complete, because I keep adding more tidbits and changing a few things. I got a couple of new gadgets and of course Alayna loves them as well.

This week-end I hope to work on a couple more items. I have 2 more cards to make and want to finish these pages.

Watch what you say....

2011-02-10T20:13:00.000-06:00

I have been working on setting up a scrap area for Alayna since she is able to focus more and now is getting into scrap booking. Anyway, I bought her a container and filled it with some stuff that I found on clearance last over the last few weeks. Last night when Alayna went into the scrap room to make something for her mom for Valentines day - she looked at her new container and promptly said "What the Hell?" Now, I guess that we will have to watch what we say....damn it!

Well, hello everyone.

2011-02-08T20:46:00.000-06:00

I am not sure what my problem is, but blogging has not been part of it. I guess I should go to my room and think about what I have done wrong - for at least 5 days. No work, no fun, nothing...just thinking about it. OK, so we know that is not going to happen, so I guess that I will have to get better.

We have been busy. We really had a trying week with the Blizzard of 2011. I tell you, we have had more snow (in 1995) but this seemed to be a heck of a lot more snow for some reason. We had 20+ inches in most of our yard. We had a heck of a time finding someone to plow our drive because we were not the only house that needed help. We finally found someone who promptly plowed all the snow in front of the garage and doors to the house. So, after about 4 hours on Friday night and 2 hours on Saturday morning we have blasted thought about 75% of the mountain. I personally don't want to see another snow shovel for a LONG time!!

Alayna has been doing SOOOOO much better. The doctor put her on a very low dose of an ADD drug and it has made a world of difference. She is so much quieter, more focused, and much happier. She does have a few issues with her emotions (she is such a passionate child). She is beginning to understand how much fun she can have when she focuses. We have been scrap booking a lot. She said that she wants to be an artist when she grows up "because they make the world pretty" which I love. She is very detailed orientated and once you show her how to do something (like making a card) that she runs with it.

Tom has not had a good few weeks at work. They keep adding more stuff to him, but won't give him any help. He is just about to the end of his rope I think. Not to mention, he really misses being at home at night with his family. Once in a while is OK, but for 5 or 6 days a week is getting really old - really fast.

Mom is getting ready to turn 80 in March. I have been thinking about her birthday and trying to decide what to do for her. Well, I finally decided that what she would like more than anything is have her family all together to celebrate her special day. So, we are all meeting at a local restaurant and going to try to surprise her (if I can do that with her living here!). We are also going to do an "80 birthday blast" for her. Give her 80 of something....like buttons, depends, what ever you can come up with. I think this will make her really happy since she has everything she really wants. If you are reading this and want to join us - let me know. We would love to have anyone!

Guess I better get to bed. I know it is early, but I am old and old people have to go to bed early!!

Hey! What's up??

2011-01-15T22:31:00.000-06:00

Hello all,

We have been busy, as usual. Seems like this is getting to be the norm instead of something out of the ordinary. I don't know when or where this change was made, but I would like to go back to a slower life!!

We have been trying to deal with a situation in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Someone stole the headstone from my grandparents grave. They didn't bother the headstone of my great-grandmother. I have had several different stories about what was actually stolen. I have heard all but the concete pad, then I heard only the bronze part of the marker, then I heard only the granite. So, I really don't know yet. I will probably have to actually go there to figure out what to do next. I am just not sure. Oma is really upset about this, and wants to get it fixed. We are just really not sure what to do next. I understand that our headstone was not the only one stolen.

Alayna has been diagnosed with ADD. This has taken several months to get to the part of actually taking medicine. Kristi, the kindergarten teacher, the first grade teacher, and a couple more teachers had to fill out a report on her activities. When the doctor reviewed them all, Kristi and I were the only ones you find at least 6 problems that indicated ADD. The teachers all had 4. You have to have at least 6 to be considered ADD. The only reason that the doctor agreed to medicine is that everyone indicated that she is struggling with math, reading, and writing. The doctor is also concerned about her losing ground instead of gaining ground in school. She took her first pill today and didn't do very well. This is the first time she has had to swallow a pill whole. Tomorrow, we are putting it in applesauce. Today, she got about 1/2 of her medicine. I will let you know how this works.

Tom has really had a difficult few weeks at work. If it isn't a problem with the material handlers not supplying his line correctly, then he is short employees. He is just really struggling with this shift. Starting on Tuesday, he will be adding another line to the 2 lines he already has. Doesn't look like it is getting better for him.

I have been working on my scrapbook stash. I completed 2008 finally and am now working on 2009. I am up to March. I could get a lot more done if I didn't have a 7 year old assistant. We have been watching YouTube videos on techniques and that girl can be a sponge - and then want to try the technique when I am trying to work on a layout.

Oma is still having a few issues with her heart. Not bad, but each one is getting her one step closer to that dreaded pacemaker. In March, she will be celebrating her 80th birthday. I have been trying to figure out what to do for this milestone, but have not really decided. I know what she would like, but I doubt that it would happen - so then I need a back-up plan. She has been quilting a lot lately. Doing quilts for retired and injured vets.

Kristi and Brian are doing OK. They are both busy with work, and Kristi has some added stress with school.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T11:27:00.000-06:00

Well, where I have been? I didn't realize that it had been so long since I last posted! I am a bad girl!!

Let me try to start this year off on a better note...or blog!!!

We had a wonderful New Years eve. We went to St. Louis with Kristi and Alayna to go to a St. Louis Blues Hockey game. We had a blast. This was not the first hockey game I have been to. My brother, Larry took me to one when we lived in Independence in the early 1970's. I don't remember a lot about that game, just remember how happy I was that Larry took me to a game with him. Funny, how that is the only think I remember about that event! Anyway, we went to a new mall - in fact most of the malls in St. Louis are new to me since we hardly ever go to St. Louis. We went to the St. Louis Mills Mall and really enjoyed it. It was HUGE compared to our mall, but not the biggest I have seen. The only reason I wanted to go there was because I had some coupons for Archivers and a small list of things I needed for a scrapbook I am working on. So, we were able to go and walk the mall, enjoy Alayna's excitement while she bungee jumped, and ate at Johnny Rockets. We had a nice time.

After that, we headed to the Scott Trade Center and to watch the Blues play Phoenix. I can't believe that the desert has a hockey rink!!! The blues played really well and ended up winning. Towards the end they gave up 3 points, but they still won. After that we ended up driving home. We were going to spend the night, but with the room rates near the Scott trade center starting around $150, we decided we could drive home cheaper than that. We ended up talking most of the way, and made it home just after midnight. So, the 4 of us saw the new year come in on I-70 near Kingdom City, MO.

Tom and I don't have to go back to work until Tuesday, which make 10 days off work for me! I needed it. I don't know what I will do when I have to go back to work. It will be a culture shock for me since I have been scrap booking and lounging for more than a week. I am working on 2008 pictures - am I behind or what! I guess this is good, because I have something to keep me busy.

Alayna is at Kristi's and has been since Thursday. It has been really nice and quiet here with her gone. I had her the first part of the week since Kristi and Tom had to work and I was at home. Kristi and Alayna both have to return to their daily grind on Monday.

Busy week...

2010-11-29T20:03:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is my yearly biopsy of my bladder. They want to make sure the abnormal part is still OK and has not grown at all. I dread this each year because it is painful and last for 2-3 days. But, I dread cancer more - so it is the lessor of two evils. After my doctors appointment I hope to go to Sam's to grab a few things before coming home to cry!!! I hate that it is suppose to be colder and VERY windy tomorrow. That will not make it any better.

Besides that, I have been fighting a cold or something. I have this terrible cough and want it to be over! I think Alayna gave it to me so that she wouldn't be the only one suffering. She finally went back to school today after missing an entire week.

Oma goes to the heart doctor on Wednesday to get the results of her month long heart monitor. Wonder what this will lead to. I have a feeling that she will be having heart surgery - pacemaker. But, am not sure. At least they seem to have gotten the medicine straightened out - no ER visits in a while!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T18:46:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had family and a friend over and of course we all had a good time...eating, playing games, Wii competiton, and of course Christmas Pictures. All in all it was a great time for all that were there I think. The only thing that was missing was Gails Cranberry salad, well and Gail too!

We were blessed to have our own personal chef for the day. The food was so good with a personal chef doing all the work and taking the pressure off of us. Her fee was well worth it as well, all she asked for was one plate of food.

I hope everyone had a wonderful day with family and friends.

Hello Saturday, missed you...

2010-11-06T07:54:00.000-05:00

Well the week-end finally decided to show up at my house! It is early in the morning and I am the only one up. Kristi and Alayna moved back to their apartment last night and it was very quiet here when I finally got home about 8:30. After work, I took Kristi and Alayna to the grocery store and Sam's so they would not starve to death at their home.

Kristi went to the ortho doctor on Wednesday and he switched braces. He gave her an ROM (Range of Motion) brace set at 30 degrees right now. Every three day she can move it 10 degrees to allow for a little more movement. She is still in pain, but not as much as she was in at first. The swelling makes a nasty comeback at the end of the day, but she comes home and puts it up and puts ice on it with a nice pain pill and it gets all better!!! She only uses the walker now if the knee it really unstable or she doesn't have her brace on (like scooting to the bathroom). Otherwise, the wheely walker is lonely. The knee is really unstable without the brace. The doctor said this was one of those things that you read about in text books but don't ever expect to see. Leave it to Kristi to give him hands-on experience with something.

Today, we are going to cut wood. Tom's dad and Brian are coming over - both with chain saws to cut wood. We have had a lot of trees fall down in the winds that we have had recently and have not had the time or energy to get out there and cut them up. Not to mention, we need the firewood!!

Well, I better get to my report for work. I have to get this done this week-end.

How is everyone else doing??

When it rains...

2010-10-26T21:20:00.000-05:00

Poor Kristi has had a terrible month. She has been sick, Alayna has been sick, and now Kristi is not able to walk without a walker. (Thanks Larry and Gail for "Wheely Walker" it has come in handy). She got her Symvisc shot in her right knee on Friday afternoon and had a severe reaction - I mean severe. She called on Saturday night about midnight and asked to come over and stay here since she wanted to take a pain killer and didn't want to be alone.

Well, her knee was about 3 times its normal size, can't bear any weight on it, has no muscle control, and VERY painful. On Sunday I told her to call the doctor to see what they said was wrong. The doctor on call just said to deal with it, that it will get better after a couple of weeks.

On Monday, with help from Tom she went to work with her new friend wheely walker. About 2 she called me and I had to go get her. The pain was too bad and the pain pills were not working. She needed ice and elevation. Since the doctor had not called her back yet we stopped at the Ortho group because I was not happy with the response that she got on Sunday.

I went to the desk and told them..."My daughter had a symvisc one shot on Friday, woke on Saturday with it so swollen she can't stand, very painful, can't walk without assistance. The doctor told her on the phone that she just had to deal with it, and I wasn't happy with that response. So, your options are to find a doctor to see her now or one of the doctors will be seeing her at the emergency room, which would you rather have?"

Well, we got right in...Mommy power!! Found out that she had a allergic reaction, one of the worse that he has seen. He put her in a leg brace, off work for a week, off her feet, stronger meds, and prayers. The brace has helped, but she still can't walk without her walker. She has moved back home and taken over our bedroom so she can have a TV, bathroom, comfy bed, and help.

Please pray that this works and she will get better. She goes back to the doctor next Wednesday to see if this is helping. He called her to check on her, and she is going to call him back tomorrow to talk with him about her progress.

The Gym...

2010-10-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

A couple of week ago there was a deal that was emailed to me that I could get 2 months free at a local gym and one session with a personal trainer. So, about a week ago I went and started my 2 month membership. So far, I love it. I did say...so far!!! I think the time I spent with my Wii-Fit has really helped because I started out with 15 mins on the treadmill and 15 mins on the elliptical. I am now up to 20 on elip, 20 mins on the treadmill, and 20 mins in the weight area. I have not gotten sore or have experienced any problems - so it has been fun.

We will see what happens next week!!!

Oh, how I love Nitrous...love love love it!!!

2010-09-28T20:03:00.000-05:00

Had stage 2 of root canal today, one more stage to go. Anyway, I got to the dentist office at 9:30 and got settled in the chair of doom. She put the Nitrous on me, leaned me back. I started feeling GOOD and I do mean GOOD. The dentist came in gave me a couple of shots - didn't feel a thing. Then he stuck that damn needle in the roof of my mouth, but don't fret - I was able to get a few cuss words out while he was killing me. Dang, that hurt like heck. Anyway, they turned up the gas and the next thing I REALLY remember is 12:15 and I am standing at the desk with my credit card to pay the bill of $568.00. Wow, now this is the kind of dentist I like, you really don't care about spending that much money for a drug to make you happy!!

I drove back to work - yes, I drove - was a tad high, but made it back OK. Not a lot of pain, just uncomfortable. I go back next Tuesday for placement of the crown. Then, I will be done...with that tooth! One more to go then I am caught up. YEA!!!

Also, I made an appointment for Tom to be tortured next Tuesday as well - for his root canal. Sorry, Tom - but I am doing this for your own good. You will thank me later. OK, so that sentence never worked on the kids either!

Next week-end KANSAS RACE!!!!

2010-09-26T21:21:00.000-05:00

This year we decided to get season tickets to the NASCAR Race in Kansas. We have went to the spring Truck races for the last several years thanks to some friends of ours who don't want to go to the spring race. But, this year Tom wanted to see the Fall race as well. So, we took some of our cruise money we had saved and got the tickets. We had a lot of fun in April but we plan on having even more fun in October!!!

About a month ago, I went on the Kansas Speedway sight to check out the activities around the track for the week-end and read about Victory Club. Told Tom about it and he wanted to do this instead of another cruise at this time. So, I took out some more money and spend it on the Victory Club tickets. A percentage of the money goes to Victory Junction Gang Camp that helps kids with cancer had a wonderful time at camp - so the money went to a good cause. With the victory club we get to meet and greet the drivers, have breakfast and lunch with them for 2 days, go into the pits and garage area, be at the drivers Q & A session, scanner, and other interesting stuff. We are also doing the fan walk as well as 3 full days of racing.

We will be very tired with a lot of walking but it will be well worth it - maybe not as much fun as a cruise, but this is something Tom really enjoys so I go along for the fun. I like the wrecks!!!

Be looking for updates next week-end. Hopefully, good pictures of drivers will follow for those who like NASCAR.

A week in review

2010-09-26T21:08:00.000-05:00

We had a busy week this last week. The work week was busy, and then Oma had a test, and I had the 1st stage of a root canal, and then Alayna and Kristi ran away.

I finally got tired of food getting stuck in a molar tooth, so I called - yes, I actually called the dentist. I went in on Tuesday afternoon. This time I had Nitrous Oxide to "calm" me down since I am a tad scared of the dentist. It made for a better experience since I really don't remember a lot of the visit. I was able to drive back home after the appointment - and it was in Fulton so it was about 30 miles away. I go back on Tuesday to have stage 2 completed, and then one more week for Stage 3 if I remember right. Once this is all done I will have spent a little over $500 for this and my dental insurance will have paid a tad over $700. Just to keep a tooth!

On Thursday Oma had to have a Cardiac Cath done to see if they could figure out what the issue is with her heart trouble. Tom took her for me and then I met them there and he came back home to get ready for work. We really thought we would be home mid-afternoon but that wasn't the case. Our first hurdle was the lady before mom. She had a heart attack on the table during the cath. So, they had to rush her to the hospital to Cardiac ICU. We were in the building attached to Boone so it wasn't a real issue to get her to the hospital - I just don't know how they did it - nor did I want to find out with Oma. Once they got that lady settled, then it was onto do Oma's. He told me that it would take about 30 minutes but he came out in about 15 - total shocker. I was bracing for bad news, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. She has heart disease - at 79 you expect that, and some blockages. None are blocked 100% which is a good thing, but the blockages will require medicine changes and lifestyle changes. Dr. Tran didn't think the blockages are the cause of the heart issues she has been having, but doesn't want to take any chances. Her test was scheduled for 9 a.m. and we finally got home a little after 5. She is doing OK, had another spell on Friday night but we didn't go - she took a different medicine.

On Friday, Kristi and Alayna went with Kris to Mark Twain to spend the week-end with them - Thanks Kris - we needed that week-end of quiet!! They had fun and Tom and I had fun as well. We cleared off the DVR which was a lot of shows, we relaxed, and I scrapbooked. So, it was a very nice, restful week-end.

Mom is going in for more tests

2010-09-17T22:31:00.000-05:00

She had a 2nd stress test (one in May, one on Wednesday) the doctor said that there is a spot on her heart that is questionable. He said it could be breast tissue, but he can't believe that it would be in the same place after 2 tests. So, on Thursday she will have a cardiac cath done to see if they could find out what is causing all of her heart issues. We should have more information after that day!

What have I been doing you ask??

2010-09-17T22:28:00.000-05:00

Counting and pricing Hot Wheels...

So, I bet you want to know "the rest of the story..."

OK, since you asked. We have a guy at work that collects Hot Wheels. One day, he and I got to talking about all the hot wheels that we have stored in containers in the attic. All of them in original package, and in excellent condition. He, of course wants to buy them all - cheap, but it intrigued me so I decided to pull them all out, catalog them all, find out prices, and see what we really have.

After one week of hard work - I found out that we have 409 cars that are currently worth $779.50. Not a bad nest egg. But, now I am going to sort through them again and find all of the duplicates, triplicates, and quads (yes, some we have 4 exact duplicates!). Those, I will sell. Not only is Adam interested in them, but a co-worker has a friend who buys Hot Wheels.

Tomorrow I hope to get them separated and the ones that we are going to keep - put those in a Rubbermaid container and back to the attic.

Warrants more testing

2010-09-08T02:43:00.000-05:00

They determined that she didn't have a heart attack - I could have told them that! But, they want to run some test on her heart to make sure all is well. If they would just come back in here (been waiting over an hour for discharge instructions) then we could go home via McDonald's on Clark Lane. I know, but I can't help it - my tummy thinks it is time to eat - only been up since 10 after going to be around 9!!

Her heart doctor's office is going to cal tomorrow - rather today - to schedule a stress test. I thought she had one a couple of months ago, but she said that wasn't a stress test.

Please get us out of here...I am going to work on a couple of hours. Then back home to bed. I need my beauty sleep - hasn't worked in years, but I am not going to give up trying.

At the ER again...

2010-09-08T00:46:00.000-05:00

I had to call 911 again for mom last night. I don't think this is a big deal this time - I think heartburn, but I don't have a medical degree. She is better since they gave her nitro and a handful of baby aspirins. We are waiting for an X-Ray, but she got pushed back because they had a stroke patient come in and they needed to go first.

I will try to keep you updated - if I can stay awake!!

1st annual Labor Day BBQ...

2010-09-06T20:38:00.000-05:00

At least that is what Ally, Kristi, and I decided. The BBQ turned out to be a lot of fun. We were not the only parents there - 2 more sets of parents showed up as well. I am not sure how many people actually showed up, but there was more than enough good food.

After we ate, someone brought some kites since it was so windy and several people started a kite flying contest of sorts. The winner was Alayna I guess since Paul hooked his kite to her kite and she was flying 2 kites at once. She thought she was really special. That was, until her string broke and both kites flew away. But, don't fret - Paul took off running and got them both out of the tree and was able to save them.

I think I am wind burnt - my face is very red and hot. But, the wind made for a nice day for a picnic. The wind was a problem, but we all made it through.

Now, have to go back to work tomorrow - but a short week ahead. I will have an issue trying to remember that it is Tuesday instead of Monday.

Happy work week everyone.

So much going on...

2010-09-05T23:30:00.000-05:00

So much going on in our lives, but no time to blog it seems. We have been doing the same things, but it seems that we have not had time to sit and relax.

I thought I would be calling 911 again on Thursday night. She said that she was having ir-regular heartbeats again and her chest was hurting. I kept an eye on here and she was feeling better after resting for about an hour in her recliner. I have been telling her for a while that at 79, she is not as young as she used to be. But, she has so much that she wants to accomplish each day that she just can't figure out what to do first. She got a new sewing table and is so excited about it. One part wasn't in yet, and after 10 days it finally came in - broken. So, on Tuesday she will take it back and try to get another one. Her blood tests show that she doesn't need to be on a blood thinner, but doesn't see the Dr. for another month so they are just on a holding pattern.

On another note - I got an EOB the other day and asked mom what in the world I had done at Boone Hospital on August 12th. She said that is the day she was admitted to the hospital. So, I called Boone Hospital and asked them what I had done that cost $845. They surprised me by saying "You were brought in by ambulance and admitted to the ER for possible heart attack." I said "Really, that is funny because I drove my car to the hospital while my 79 year old mother was brought by ambulance to the hospital for possible heart attack." All I heard was dead silence on the other end, finally the guy said "Oh, how do I fix this?" I told him I didn't know, but someone should since I was not admitted for this and don't need this on my medical record. They are suppose to let me know, but I really bet they won't do anything about it since my insurance paid 100% and medicare will probably only pay a portion.

Poor Tom, he is really unhappy with his job. He is struggling with lack of training, lack of help from his supervisors and employees who are greenhorns and don't really know what they are doing. When you are building parking brakes, you don't really have room for mistakes. I hope his blow-up the other day was a warning sign for the higher-ups. I knew he needed a break, so on Saturday we went to Olathe, Kansas to the fork and screen to see one movie and one short feature. The short feature was about the Hubble Telescope in 3D and Imax. It was really neat. Our other movie was really slow, called "The American" and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. We thought that with George Clooney it would be really good, but that was not the case. This movie was in the cinema suites and we had a nice meal and really comfy recliners. That is our favorite theatre by far. Love it!!

After we watched the movies we went to see if there were any good tickets left for the Kansas City Royals Game. Much to our surprise - quit laughing Gail - we were able to get 2 really good seats 3 rows from the field. We happened to be on the Detroit side, but we had a lot of fun. One other family were Royals fans and we had a nice rivalry going, but Detroit won anyway. We had a lot of fun. Took a lot of pictures, but have not looked at them yet.

Alayna is doing really good in school. She really loves her teacher. Too early in the year to tell if this will be a good year. She spends more time here than at home. I think she likes being able to go outside when she wants and all the freedom she gets here with a lot of room to roam. She can spend hours peeling the bark from a fallen tree limb. I have no idea why, but if you can't find her - look close to the woods - she is hunting a limb.

We started a new ritual last Wednesday night. When mommy and bubby are having their brother/sister dinner we are going to have Alayna/grandma night at the library. She got her own library card last Wednesday and was only suppose to get 2 books, but walked out with 4! We also spent some time on the computers there playing some of the first grade games. We hope to spend about 2 hours there each week, practicing our reading, working on learning games, and finding good books. Oma went with us last week, and she was very happy in the large print section. She said that she is going back with us and wants to get her own library card!

Tomorrow we are going to BBQ at the park with Bubby and his friends. We are going to eat and then come home to get ready for the week ahead and let the kids enjoy the rest of the night without parents looking over their shoulders. The kids say that we are not typical parents, we are more understanding of what they are doing (within reason) and so they don't mind us being around, but we know when to leave to keep our sanity!

Well it is 11:25 p.m. and I really should get to bed.

God Bless Everyone!!

Love you!

Update on mom - day 2

2010-08-13T04:33:00.000-05:00

Well, good news emerged last night. She was able to keep sinus rhythm and her heart was finally starting to come around. He said there were several things happening at one that caused this. Anyway, if she is was a good girl she MIGHT be able to come home today (yes, I am typing this at 4:30 in the dang morning).

But, Tom went up last night to see her and they went for a stroll and she became too winded to continue the stroll. Now, I don't know what they are going to do since you really need to have enough breath to breathe while walking. I heard bad things happen when you stop breathing while walking - not really sure if they are just old wives tales or not :)

I will check on her and probably leave work a smidgen earlier than expected today. I don't know what will happen. I wonder if he will send her home with Oxygen for a little while. Not sure.

I can't believe I am up - still very sleepy. But, last night after dinner I started to get the dreadful heartburn that I have been getting since losing weight. So, I took a prilosec to help the problem. Well, I put the pill in my mouth and went to take a drink - cup empty. So, I quickly went to the kitchen to get more tea, all the while with a pill sitting on my tongue. I drank about 8 oz and the nasty little pill is now stuck in my throat. Keep in mind this was about 8:30 last night and it is now 4:30 am and it is still stuck. I just read on the Internet to either eat a piece of bread or a spoonful of peanut butter to help it go down. I am getting ready to try this - I want one more hour of sleep, not that it would do me a lot of benefit. But, dang it I am tired and I have a full day ahead of me.

Off to get a midnight - I mean 4 am feeding of peanut butter sandwich. Yum yum!!

Afternoon Update on Mom...

2010-08-12T14:26:00.000-05:00

Finally got the Echo done about 1 today. She came back up and has eaten her lunch - a low sodium turkey sandwich. She is having what they call "hard beats" where the heart is beating very hard for a couple of beats. Her rhythm is still not normal so it is hurry up and wait. The doctor ordered a time study for her, which means every 8 hours they will come in and draw blood for an enzymes report. This way they can tell if her heart is giving a warning sign before the irregular beats. They are still checking her every 20 minutes or so to make sure she is still breathing normally and know what is going on in the world (to make sure that the fact of not having any sleep would make her loopy).

The nurse seems to think that the doctor will be in again today. I don't know if I believe them or not.

On another note - Kristi was suppose to call a surgeon today to schedule an appointment for a second option about not having surgery until the gallstone blocks the opening. I tell you, kidney stones and gall stones all in one calender year - what next???

I am wearing down very fast. I got to sleep a tad last night and none today, I am thinking about reclining in the chair and checking for light leaks - but am concerned that my snoring might wake up the patients 2 floors down. I am so tired that I know I would snore - even though I am sure I don't snore! Right kids???

Update on mom...

2010-08-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

The good doctor came in and said that he was very concerned about her heart. He is going to do some more test today to make sure her heart is working like it should and that the heart has not been damaged due to the episode last night. He is concerned about the amount of medicine that it took to get her heart rate under control. She is very sore and her heart rate is still not under control. It is not in normal rhythm yet, so they are doing something different. She ate a good breakfast and is very tired but is trying to stay awake because of all the testing and prodding they are doing. Blood pressure checks every 1/2 hour. They said her telemetry is still not where it should be. She can't get up without help due to her blood pressure.

I will let you know when we hear more.

Forgot to add...

2010-08-12T04:35:00.000-05:00

The paramedics asked Alayna if she wanted to give Oma a kiss before she left, and Alayna went and gave her one and told her "Don't worry Oma, Grandma is going with you and you will be ok, she will make sure of that."

They loved it!!

Yet another exciting night at the Reynolds/Fines household

2010-08-12T04:33:00.000-05:00

I was snoozing really nice, in the middle of a dream - something about water, and Tom has the guts to wake me up!! He said, "Hey, you need to get up, your mom needs you" After I came to - I started to mom's side of the house and knew that I would be calling 911 in a short time. I could tell by the look on her face that we were in crisis mode. I got to her and she said that her chest was hurting very badly and she couldn't take a deep breathe without severe pain. I asked her if she wanted me to take her or call 911 - she said she couldn't make it to the car so a call was in order. I tell you, with work I should be considered a frequently flyer with 911!!! Anyway, I called them then went to tell Alayna that Oma was sick and needed help that I couldn't give her. I didn't want her to be scared since she sleeps right outside Oma's room. She went in to sit with Oma while I went to find Tom and tell him to get prepared.

We are lucky to have the Assistant Fire Chief for Boone County right down the road and he was the first to arrive and after visiting with Oma for a few minutes, he told me that we have an problem. He wasn't ruling out heart attack, but was concerned that her blood pressure wouldn't register on her cuff and her heart was beating uncontrollable and irregular.

So, anyhowmany...they came, they saw, and they conquered. They got her down the steps with no problem (which was one of her biggest fears about moving upstairs). She is now a resident of Boone Hospital for the next few days until the cardiologist can figure out what happened. They said that it doesn't appear to be a heart attack but A-Fib like what happened about 15 years ago. They have given her 3 different heart meds along with other pain meds and now, after more than 4 hours her pain is only about 1 -2 where it was 8-9 when she arrived here.

She is in room 3111 on the cardiac floor. After 3 hours sleep, I am going to head to work in about an 15 minutes and do my reports and then back up here to hopefully see the doctor when he comes in.

More when I know it.

Ahhhh...just what have we been up too lately?

2010-08-07T20:30:00.000-05:00

Hello my few blogging friends and family. I know it has been awhile, and I am not really sure why it has taken me so long to put something...anything on this blog. Trust me, I look just about every night and cuss a little when you all don't post something new, and then I go and disappear myself. I should go to my bedroom and think about what I have done wrong!!

I have been busy. We finally got Kristi totally moved into her apartment and now we have began the task of looking for a new place ourselves. We are not sure what we really want yet - a total duplex with mom on one side and us on the other, or a house, or 2 apartments. We just know we want to downsize, but the decision is a hard one. We brought down from the loft all the stuff for the garage sale this morning and boy, do we have a lot. Mostly clothes that I am currently sorting. I am thinking about posting on craigslist a lot of a certain size box of clothes for a set price and see what happens. I am not sure if I want to do that. I just know that clothes don't sell very well so I want to get rid of them the best way I can. We are thinking about doing our garage sale the end of the month, but not sure. I know I have to clean out some stuff on the nights Tom is at work since he is such a packrat and won't part with anything. I will do it for him.

Tom has been working hard, and the poor guy is suffering. In the part of the plant that he is in, the temperature is about 20 degrees hotter than outside. And with him working from 1 - 10pm. It is the hottest part of the day and he has just about stopped eating to keep from getting sick. Starting the end of the month he will add about 20 more people that he will be supervising as we are adding a second shift for the line for the Acura MDX and Honda Pilot or CRV. We can't keep up with our orders so they didn't have any choice but to add a 2nd shift. Just what Tom wanted - more people in a totally different part of the plant to keep up with!! He has also been having some tooth issues. This is what we get for avoiding the dentist for so long. Both times he has been there have been due to severe pain. Now, we are waiting to find out about the rest for both of us.

Kristi is hurting. Dr. Mom said that her gallbladder needs to be repossessed by the original owner but Dr. Weston isn't so sure. She had an endoscope and ultrasound on Thursday and we should know the results on Monday. She is in a lot of pain right now - but not enough to go to the emergency room. She really likes her apartment and I think she misses living at home. She calls me more than I call her. She just bought her a brand new car with only 100 miles on it. We went on a buying spree and each bought a new car. Kristi got a Madza CX-7. It is a crossover. Whoever gets her Ford Escape will get a heck of a deal since it was a 2007 with just over 36,000 miles on it. Still in really good shape. The main reason that she traded was because she didn't have a warranty anymore and was concerned if something happened.

Brian bought a 2010 Mazda3. He really likes his car - he went from a black car to a white car. His fusion was a great car, but it was a 2007 with about 60,000 miles on it. He drives a lot of miles to work. I figure if he stays where he is at he will be getting a new car every couple of years.

Alayna is less than 2 weeks away from starting 1st grade. I can't believe that it is that time of the year again. I know she is ready - and so are we!!! She is getting so big, all legs now. She is also getting more comfortable in the pool. Today she went underwater and was trying to tell everyone how to do it. She spends just about as much time at my house as she does at her mom's house. She doesnt' like staying with Oma in the afternoons because "she won't let me watch tv - she makes me go outside and play." I remember those days as well.

Oma has really been enjoying her sewing shack. She is getting really good about going up and down the stairs. We have been enjoying eating the fresh fruits and veggies from the farmers market. We go on Saturday and spend a lot of money - but the taste is sooooo good. She got good news from her cancer doctor - 2 years cancer free with bladder cancer means that she is considered a survivor now! YEA!!! We are so happy.

One final thing - we got rid of our "grocery getter, loser cruiser, mom mobile" and got a 2009 Chevy Malibu. I was the only one riding in it most of the time and I really didn't need anything that big. BUT...my knee has been paying the price. In my van I could slide in./out and this I have to actually lift myself out. Now, I am over 50 lbs lighter but my knee decided that wasn't enough and started giving me trouble. I had a cortisone shot the other day and will have my synvics shot in a couple of weeks.

I guess we better go home. Alayna is going with us - "so mom can rest without me giving her problems!" She called her mom a pickle tonight - a sweet pickle - a very big sweet pickle - because she is big and sweet!!"

The dentist needs a new car...

2010-07-07T20:21:00.000-05:00

I realized today that our dentist is in the market for a new car. I need to have around $4000 worth of dental work and Tom needs around $2000. We have fairly good dental insurance but we will still have to pay money out of pocket. I have to have two root canals and 2 crowns and 2 filling. Tom has to have a root canal and a couple of fillings.

Today, Tom and I went for our semi-annual cleaning and I think the girl who did mine was really mad at someone because my teeth are so sore. I couldn't hardly eat at dinner. I guess this is a weight-loss plan!

So, on July 13th, Tom goes for the start of his root canal and on July 19th I go for mine. We need to starting paying for his car.

Mom's fall.

2010-07-07T20:14:00.001-05:00

On Monday, July 5th we were going to have a quiet day at home without kids in our jammies watching TV. I went to start lunch and saw mom laying on the deck. I said out loud to myself "what is mom doing laying on the...oh shit mom fell." I left the water running and headed out the door to check on her. She was down for the count, and it took Tom and I both to get her up on her feet. It didn't appear that she was hurt badly. She is very sore and her right arm is really sore. She didn't break anything but she is really sore.

My weight loss...

2010-07-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

Since starting to lose weight around 4 months ago, I have now lost 52 lbs from my highest weight and just went to buy some new pants and was surprised that I had to buy pants that were 4 sizes smaller than before. I feel a lot better as well, so that is good news. But...I now have terrible "Bat Wings" under my arms and getting a droopy neck from the weight loss. Don't know which is better - being overweight or dealing with my bat wings and droopy neck.

Fort Leonard Wood Visit

2010-07-03T20:59:00.000-05:00

Oma, Tom and I decided that we would take a day trip on Friday, July 2. We had to go to Eldon to check out a church that we are going to be photographing a wedding soon. Since we were going south, we thought we would go ahead and swing down to Fort Leonard Wood (FLW) and take the tour of the post along with going to the museums, commissary, and PX. We were surprised at the things there is to see and do on the post, you could almost spend two full days here and not see it all.

Tom was in heaven there with all the military stuff that was on display. In fact, Oma and I left him at the museum and went to the commissary and PX while he was browsing. This way he didn't feel rushed - because I can clear a museum in about 1/4 of the time he does. Oma and I had a blast at the commissary and PX. We hit the clearance racks because they were an additional 25% off the already reduced prices. I got some clothes for Alayna that started out at $5.99. I couldn't pass that up.

After leaving the post, we headed to find a place they call "Devil's Elbow." It is a trussle bridge. We drove a lot, and saw a lot of Waynesville but really didn't get close to the bridge. We did see it from a look-out point, but not up close. It is off Route 66.

We stopped in Lebanon and had dinner. I just have to remind myself that I can't eat at All-you-can-eat buffets. I can't eat that much anymore.

We were gone about 10 hours and drove a total of 330 miles. Had a wonderful time but was glad to be back home again.

A few new facts about Alayna...

2010-07-03T20:42:00.001-05:00

Since it has been a little while since any of you have seen Alayna, I thought I would give you an update on our little Diva...

* She will be 7 in 20 days (where has time gone?)
* She doesn't like Strawberries in any way.
* Still loves veggies and hates potatoes. She asks for veggies instead of fries when we eat out.
* Has moved out of our house - but we have visitions every Wednesday night and every other week-end. We just don't have to pay child support but it seems like I do sometimes when I go shopping for her!!
* Has 2 new kittens. Callie and Milo are just the best little kitties in the world. They love to be loved by Alayna.
* Is getting better at swimming now that she has a nice pool at her new apartment.
* Is starting to grow on her Uncle Bubby. He has been seen playing with her in the pool.
* Is getting pretty good at wrapping grandma around her finger as well as Papa.
* Is in First grade at Summer school and loves it. She is lost without school or something to keep her busy.
* Was diagonised with ADD. Has a terrible time prioritizing her tasks - including eating and going potty.
* Loves being outside. She will come over here and spends most of the time outside.
* Is developing a love for reading. She loves to read books to people.
* Has been riding a school bus, and doesn't mind it. She thinks it is too noisy, but rides anyway.
* Has had her glasses for a year and has not lost or broke them yet. She has forgotten them several times, but not lost them.
* For her birthday this year is going to see the Kansas City Royals play baseball with the Independence Fines crew and is very excited. Said that is just what she wanted.
* Is growing up WAY to fast, but we love her anyway.
* Can't remember our life without her, she is the best thing to have around. Grandma and Papa really love her and miss her when she is not here. We hated to see her move out, we are lost!

Little House on the Prairie play with Oma

2010-07-03T20:10:00.000-05:00

I thought I had blogged about this, but I must have done it in my sleep. Sorry, guys.

Oma and I joined the Older Adult tours and went to Kansas City to see a play at Starlight Theatre. First, let me clarify...I am not the older adult in the duo...you figure out the rest. Anyway, I am not sure the trip was worth $85/each but we paid it and went. The trip consisted of the bus ride to and from the play, dinner at Starlight, and several stop for potty breaks, AND grabby old people!!!

We left at 3 pm, and the temps were close to 100 degrees and VERY humid. It was totally miserable. The bus was not full so we could spread out. I brought my IPod to listen to music and was glad I did, those women wouldn't shut up. We stopped about 4 times before we made it to Kansas City. It was so nice to have door side service from the bus. We were promised that our dinner would be in an air conditioned building, but they lied. We were in the shade and it was tolerable. I thought the food was terrible and didn't eat a lot - not to mention - I really didn't want to get sick from the heat and a heavy meal. They served (on a VERY HOT DAY) Thanksgiving on the Prairie. Which meant that we had turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans. See where I am going with this? It was way to heavy of a meal to eat at these temps. We had a nice conversation with our table mates. He was a retired military, and of course that is all that Oma had to hear and they started talking about military service.

The play was OK. The first act was rather dull but the 2nd act was really good. The lady who played Ma was Melissa Gilbert (she played Laura on TV) was really good. The girl who played Carrie really came to life in the 2nd act. There were several times that Melissa Gilbert had to turn her head and laugh because of the things that this girl was doing. It really made the 2nd half entertaining.

Then we had the ride home. Dang chatty women!!! Now, realize it is almost 11 pm when we boarded the bus to come home. I have been up since 5 and it is now WAY past my bedtime and I really wanted to sleep. Not going to happen - even with my IPod on. We arrived back in Columbia around 2 am with all of our stops for potty breaks. As we were pulling into the parking lot these ladies were all laughing that they get to sleep late and don't have to get up early. I just wanted to knock each one in the head as I left the bus...I was suppose to be at work in 5 hours and still had to drive home. Finally got to sleep at 3:30 and did go in an hour late, and did OK until about 3 pm and then I went fast!! In fact Brian called me and said we talked - I don't remember...I was exhausted.

I don't think I will going on anymore of these anytime soon. I have had my fill with old people, tour bus, bad food, and late nights. I am just too old (I mean young) for this.

On with our lives...

2010-06-19T09:08:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy week. Kristi had a party on Thursday and we helped her get ready for this. The party turned out to be a lot of fun and we had good food. I am not sure how she well she did on her party. I think I have been at Kristi's house everyday since she moved getting ready for this party, but I hope for awhile that I will be able to stay home.

Yesterday, we had our company meeting at work and I was really busy. I was wiped out when I got home so Alayna (who rides the bus to my house) and I went to their house to enjoy the swimming pool. For each pod of 5 buildings there is one swimming pool. So, this makes for an empty pool most days. There were a couple of people in the pool when we got there, but it ended up just us. I taught Alayna how to jump off the side onto the floaty. She had fun. She doesn't know how to swim, but she is not scared of the water at all. This may be an issue in the future.

Oma has been sewing in her sewing shack. She really likes having a large place to sew. I don't know what is going to happen if we move and she doesn't have this much space. She has been working on new covers for the rockers in her living room.

Alayna ended up staying here for 2 nights. After Kristi's party she had a melt down and for some reason wanted to come home with me, so she did. We read a couple of books and she wrote in her diary and then she crashed. I think she just needed some one-on-one time with someone before she slept. There were a lot of people in her apartment and I think that was too much for her to deal with.

Tom is doing a lot better now that his tooth is gone. He missed two days of work one for the extraction and one for bleeding. He still has some pain in the jaw, but not what it used to be. I think this should get better with time.

The meaning of the word lost...

2010-06-15T20:56:00.000-05:00

Tonight, as I sit here thinking about death and how it has again touched our family. Today, Oma lost a grandson, I lost a nephew, Debbie lost a son-in-law, Lauri lost a husband. Death seems to be right around the corner for our family lately, and I am ready for it to stop. When we heard that Mark was in a coma, Oma and I started talking about all the people that we have loved and lost - both family and friends. Oma kept saying "she lost so and so" and I told her all my life I have heard this term and never really understood it. To me, the word lost means that you misplaced something - eg, I lost my keys. It implies that you will find whatever it is that you lost, eventually. When you use that saying in the context of death you sound like you are going to find that person again someday. I know, in heaven we all shall meet again but only God knows when that will be. So, why do you say "I lost my brother today" shouldn't you say that your brother passed away or my brother died today. Lost just seems like it doesn't sound right in this context.

Anyway, AZ Fines - you are in our prayers during this difficult time. He went way to early but take comfort in knowing that several people will live on with a part of Mark, he is living through others.

The tooth fairy has been busy...

2010-06-15T20:39:00.000-05:00

Well, Alayna lost another tooth last Wednesday night and the tooth fairy came to my house and left some money for her.

About a week ago Tom started complaining about his sinus' and how much they hurt. Well, today he finally gave in and went to the dentist. After leaving over a $100 there - he is missing 2 teeth. One wisdom and the one in front of the wisdom tooth. So, tonight he is really loopy and hurting. I hope he gets to feeling better soon. He has been miserable.

Boy, I am tired

2010-06-12T19:00:00.000-05:00

Today has been a busy day for us. We finished painting Oma's living room and got her furniture moved in there. She is so happy to have her round table and 2 rockers back. We had to rig her TV for right now until I can call dish network and have another outlet put in that room so she can put her TV where she wants it. Right now, this will work but not where she wants it. Oma spent about 2 hours going thought photos of the family to put on her new bookcase. She is just happy about all the room she has.

She is almost done with her sewing shack. I have to move 2 tables over there, one for her cutting room and one for her sewing room. Yep, you read it right she will have a cutting room and a sewing room. She has all of her stuff over there, she just needs the tables and some help getting her machines set up since she can't lift more than 10 pounds right now.

After we go her room set up, we cleaned up the little loft area outside our bedroom (which is above the kitchen). It has been left alone for 7 years and boy we could tell it. Then I worked on Alayna's room and then cleaned out the closet. I had a lot fun seeing some of the stuff we had stored in that closet. Have a lot of garage sale stuff.

Tom is in Lathrop at his high school reunion. I am glad that he went and hope he has fun.

What a busy week this has been...

2010-06-11T22:19:00.000-05:00

This last week has been a blur for our family. I am waaaayyyyy too old for this crap! I need a vacation!

Let me just write a little note about each day...

It all started on Saturday with Kristi finally moving out. We were planning on starting around 10, this would give Tom time to sleep a tad since he works late at night and Kristi to get final packing done. But, the family that was going to help us needed to start earlier because of some other commitments. It worked out for the best. They had the trailer and 3 trucks and Kristi's car loaded and unloaded before lunch. They even had a little bit of time to start putting together some of the furniture that needed assembly.

After they unloaded the trucks and such we had a BBQ here for everyone. It was really nice and we didn't have a lot of food left over. Once we had everyone full, we had to move Oma upstairs. This didn't take as much time as we thought it would.

After everyone else left the family (Tom, Me, Oma, Kristi, Granny, Grandpapa, Brian, Paul (Brian's friend), and Bob) all went back to her apartment to try to help make sense out of all the boxes. You all know what I am talking about - you have been there before. Anyway, after dinner of Long Johns Silvers, Tom and I headed home to relax! Finally, relax.

Sunday...

We got up and cleaned a little and then Tom, Oma, and I headed to Kristi's to cook a good meal and finish what needed to be done.

Monday...

Work, work, work. Then in the evening I started painting Oma's living room (Alayna's old bedroom). It was a bright purple and now it is a nice quiet shade of pink (almost looks white). I hate to paint - really, I hate to tape. Painting is not as bad as taping everything up.

Tuesday...

Work, work, work again. Then back to more painting.

Wednesday...

Work, work, work. Wednesday night is my night with Alayna since it is Kristi & Brian's sibling night. On Sunday we talked about what to do with Kristi's walls and came up with the idea of her making a collage of pictures Tom has taken of flowers. So, I went to Michaels and Target to see if I could find frames that we could afford. We are thinking about 20 pictures - so I need CHEAP frames. Found a lot of good deals, so this was good.

Thursday...

Work, Work, Work. I headed back to Michaels, Wal-Mart, and Target to get a few more frames. Wait, before I left for Michaels I went to Alayna's school with Kristi and Alayna to meet her summer school teacher, Mrs. Russo. I think Alayna will have fun. There are 27 kids in her class and my only concern is the only bathroom is in the school. Her class is in a trailer. She will also ride the bus to & from school. We want to see if this will work for next year. This way Tom can see her in the Am and I can see her in the PM.

Friday...

Work. Notice, I only said one work that is because Tom had a half-day of vacation so I took one so we could finish painting Oma's room. It is now almost 10 and we just finished about an hour ago. We have pulled up most of the tape and are waiting for her "accent wall" to dry. Tomorrow we will move her living room stuff into that room and then Tom will leave to go to Lathrop, MO for his high school reunion. He is going with his brother since I couldn't go (Oma got her shot today and isn't suppose to be left alone for a long period of time for a couple of days). This is not just a reunion for the class of 1979 - it is a reunion for ALL grad classes. So, Bob will see some of his grad class as well.

I plan on cleaning out the closet that used to be Alayna's and try to come up with some plan of attack for all the stuff that was left by Brian, Kristi, and Alayna. You would not believe how full that walk-in closet is.

Sunday, we are going to go to Kristi's to hang all of her photos. She has a open house on Thursday so we have a few things to do before then.

Empty Nest after 28 years

2010-06-05T21:07:00.000-05:00

It only took 28 years for us to experience the empty nest syndrome - so to speak. Kristi moved today to her own apartment. It only took about 4 hours to load the trucks and trailer and unload them at the new apartment. After a nice lunch, some of us headed back to her apartment to get her settled a tad. At 8 p.m. Tom and I finally came home. We are now watching the race and relaxing.

While we were gone, Oma made herself right at home in her new area. We brought over as much as she wanted us to and then she wanted to be left alone. Her bedroom is just about done and we have to work on her living room. We have to paint the room since it is a deep purple room. We have a couple of test samples that we are going to paint tomorrow to see how they look before we buy the paint we need to paint the room. Then she will have her living room done as well. One of the things we have to do tomorrow is get Alayna's bed set-up so it will be ready when she comes over.

Hope everyone has a great week-end.

Cemetery visits

2010-05-31T20:19:00.000-05:00

I have been to a lot of cemeteries in my family history research, I have been to some from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, all the way to Oklahoma. Next time I go to Denver, I will be visiting a few there. Anyway, today was the first time I have been to a Confederate Cemetery. It was in Higginsville, next to the veterans cemetery that my brother is buried in. Oma, Tom, and I were really interested in all the headstones. We stopped and read the signs before we walked the cemetery. I loved the flags that adorned each headstone as well. It was really an interesting cemetery. Thanks Gail for telling us about this cemetery.

Anyway, we started on Saturday at my Grandpa Fines grave (started with the oldest and ended today with the youngest!). He is buried in Wright City, MO which is about 1/2 way to St. Louis. Today we ended with Larry and he is buried about 1/2 way to Kansas City. So, we almost went from East to West in 3 days.

Yesterday we went to dad's grave and Gene's memorial. I think the hardest on Mom was Larry's for some reason. I am not sure why, but she sat there and looked at his marker for a while while Tom and I walked around and enjoyed the decorations that people had left in tribute. It was beautiful. I just wish I didn't have to go visit because of Larry there. I would rather have Larry by my side instead, but I think he is there in spirit. What is wonderful about the veteran's cemeteries is that all the headstones are alike and in line. It doesn't matter which way you look, they are in line. And today, they each had a flag to honor their service to our country.

It turned out to be a wonderful week-end. We did a lot, but also enjoyed a lot of family time as well as tributes to the ones who went before us.

One more week...

2010-05-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

One week from now, Kristi will be in her own apartment. It has been a long time since she has had her own place, so this should be an experience, and Alayna has never lived anywhere but here with us so that will be a new experience for her as well.

Kristi has done a good job gathering up stuff for her new apartment. She is at the point now that she has to unpack to determine what she has and doesn't have since she has been at this for a couple of months now. She gets her keys on Tuesday and then fun will begin. I am not a fan of moving, so I think I will leave Missouri (like Beth and Lucas) and head to the West Coast to see Tory and family!!!

Alayna really doesn't get "moving" yet. She is still working on the facts, but does understand that she will be sleeping somewhere else. We just wonder how long it will take to get over not seeing Papa. Kristi is thinking about letting her ride the bus to school this summer as well as home. This way, Kristi could just pull up to the house and drop her off. She would be able to spend about an hour with Papa and Oma before getting on the bus. Then at night I would get to see her about an hour before her mom would pick her up. This might help with the transition.

So, if anyone is bored next week-end and is looking for something to do - come to our moving party. BBQ included!!!

Monday

2010-05-29T21:14:00.000-05:00

There is a place here in Columbia that is a studio that you can rent and take pictures. The price of your rental includes all the lights and backdrops for that particular area you choose to use. There are 5 different area's that you can use, each a different price. So, we are renting the portrait studio part and taking some pictures of Alayna and some others of different groups of us. These are going to be Alayna's 7 year pictures...can you believe I just said 7 years! WOW!!!!

Anyway, after that we hope to go to Shelter and take some pictures (weather permitting) and then off to Higginsville to pay tribute to Larry, my brother. We want to spend some time walking around looking are the headstones while we are there. I love the military cemeteries at memorial day because they are all decorated with large flags. The cemetery that my dad is in is doing that as well, and they give you a flower when you stop at the gate to put on the grave. Mom and I are doing that on Sunday.

On Monday, there will be a military burial at the Memorial park Cemetery in Columbia. One of our brave men (24 years old) died in combat and he will be laid to rest on Monday. People are suppose to line the route from the church to the cemetery to pay their respects waving flags. I hope there are not any protester, I think that is so disrespectful to the family.

A fun filled day...

2010-05-29T21:05:00.000-05:00

Today started off with some UN-shopping. The girls (me, Oma, Kristi, and Alayna) went shopping last night and let the sales get the best of us. So, today we Un-shopped. We took back several items that once we got home didn't work with what we are doing on Monday (pictures of Alayna). So, we Un-shopped. I thought Kristi was going to tear into the assistant manager at Claires in the mall. I bought a decorated hair comb for Alayna and when Kristi saw it, she said that Alayna's hair is too fine and the comb won't stay. So, that was one to the things to return - but Claires won't allow returns on "speciality items." She said people buy them, use them once and return them. Kristi explained to her that you can tell by the card that they have not been used - or even taken off the card. But, that didn't work. So, Kristi asked for the managers and the district managers name and phone number. She is going to call and have it out with them. You go girl!!!

After that we ran home, ate some watermelon on the deck and then Kristi, Oma, and I climbed into Kristi escape and did just want the car is named for - we escaped!!! We went to Wright City, Missouri to put flowers on my grandpa's grave and then to Warrenton to check out the outlet mall - mainly the kitchen store. I think I might be the only one who visits grandpas grave. I know he is buried next to 2 of his sisters, but they don't have headstones and so nobody visits. I make sure I stop anytime I go past.

Tomorrow, Tom is heading to the airshow at Columbia Regional Airport (yes, Tory - that little airport you came in to). Kristi and Alayna are going to a graduation BBQ in Jeff City and Oma and I are staying here and having Sauerkraut and polish Sausage. I have some stuff to do before Monday.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday - and a safe one.

Must be summer...

2010-05-23T16:41:00.000-05:00

Today we spent about 4 hours in the yard working. Mainly mowing and trimming. Tom and I were working near the road and Tom got the mower stuck - really stuck. We got our truck and tried to get it out and all we succeeded to do was break the tow strap in different places with each attempt. So, time to get to know our neighbors. Tom ran over there and asked if he could bring his tractor and get it out. It came out on the first attempt with a tow chain.

After that we finished trimming and cleaning near the road and then Tom mowed the yard. I finally had to stop with the push mower because we bent the blade. So, now we have to take off the blade and get a new one. Good reason to stop for the day. And what a day it has been. This was more of a workout then my Wii Fit.

We did get some of Kristi's furniture moved to the garage so we can move Alayna out the the living room and maybe be able to paint Alayna's old room so that it will be Oma's living room. Right now it is a deep purple and we are going to paint it off white or ivory color. Something not so dark.

Yesterday, Tom went with his mom, dad and brother to Kearney, MO for a graduation ceremony for his cousins' son. I had things that I had to get done here so I stayed behind. I was glad that I didn't go since he didn't get home until after 8 last night. It was just like old times for them. The 4 of them on a road trip.

Tonight we are going to have pork steaks and fried potatoes and steamed spinach for supper. I am so ready for a nice quiet night. We will probably play Wii with Alayna for a little while.

Alayna's First Bus Ride...

2010-05-21T19:48:00.000-05:00

On the way home from school earlier this week, Alayna asked when she would be old enough to ride a school bus. I explained to her that I didn't like her riding with people I didn't know. Then, I told her the story about me driving a bus just so mommy and Uncle Bubby would be taken care of in a proper way. Of course, I left out the part of Brian's bus driver (his mommy) leaving him at school the first day of kindergarten - she didn't need to be scared!!! I also didn't tell her that I totalled a brand new bus on the 2nd day of Brian's kindergarten school year. Brian had a rough start to his school life. Of course, the bus accident wasn't my fault - it was the guy behind me bending down to answer her cell phone (OK car phone) and hit me going about 50 MPH.

Anyway...back to Alayna. I thought about it and decided to ask Kristi about it. We talked and decided that I would leave early on Thursday and meet the bus driver (after calling the bus barn and getting the entire life history of the driver). I met him at the school and proceeded to give him one heck of a riot act. I told him where she would be allowed to sit, how he was going to get to drive way, that she would not be crossing in front of the bus, when "I" expected her home, what to do if he was going to be delayed, etc. In other words, I told him how to do his job while my granddaughter is in his care. I am sure that he didn't know how to take this. After I was satisfied that I had scared the crap out of him I went into the school and got Alayna.

I explained to her that we were going to meet the bus driver and she could decide if she wanted to ride or not. I told her that she didn't have to ride, but it was available. She was excited and scared. Walking out to meet the driver, she was shaking holding my hand. She told him that she knew where she lived and would help him find her house. She said that she didn't want to ride. I told her that we would wait in line just like she would do if she was riding and walk to the bus so she could see what it would be like. While standing in line she had a death grip on my hand and was shaking. I told her it would be OK, I would not make her ride we were just going to see what it was like to walk to the bus.

We headed out to the bus and there are only like 10 kids who ride the bus, but one little boy took her hand and said "Is this your first time riding a bus?" And Alayna of course answered "yes" in which he responded "I will help you, it is not bad, what is your name?" After talking to him for a minute, she let go of my hand and turned around and said "Bye Grandma, I will be fine."

I just smiled and started walking to my van, stopping once to turn around to make sure she wasn't looking for me but, that was not the case. I almost went back to the bus and took her off - Grandma was scared now!

I raced home and told Oma "I did it, I put Alayna on a school bus." She just smiled, knowing that it was me that needed to let go, not Kristi. Grandma the protector. I grabbed the camera and ball bat and headed down the driveway, only to get half-way down to find out that Tom had removed both memory cards from the camera and I had to go back to the house. I took off back down the drive way, minus the bat (just in case the driver didn't live up to my expectations). I heard the bus about a half-mile away, I know that sound. He waved as he drove by, per my instructions and turned around. I thought he was driving a tad too fast and told him that when he stopped.

Alayna was smiling when she got off. She was happy, She conquered another milestone in her childhood. Now, if I can only keep her young and innocent. I dread the teen years - I need to move to another country before then so Kristi can pay in full for her raising. She has a LARGE bill that needs to be collected on. Good luck Kristi!!!!!!

Update on our lives...

2010-05-18T19:44:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone...how are all doing? We have been running around like crazy getting ready to move Kristi and Oma. I think moving two people is more difficult then moving the entire family. Of course, it is not as hard on me...all I am doing is supervising...wait, that is what I usually do! I knew I had found my calling.

Kristi has gotten a lot packed and moved to the garage. She is hoping that will make it easier on moving day if we only have to go to the garage instead of running up and down the stair. So, Tom is running up and down the stairs instead of everyone else. Tom seems to always get the raw end of the females ideas in this house. This is what comes with living with all women. Brian caught on early and bailed on us.

Kristi will be moving out the first week-end in June and then we will work on getting Oma moved upstairs and then move her sewing stuff to the new sewing shed. Then, we will make a pantry out of mom's current sewing nook. It won't be as much a pantry as a place to store all of our stuff that we use for cooking. I think we will be very busy for the next few months. As soon as we get this moving around done, we want to have a garage sale. We want to move from here - but why move all this stuff again!!! I just don't know how to answer that question.

Alayna is almost done with her first year of school. She is struggling because they have decided that she has a slight issue with ADD. I tried to play the Wii with her the other night and had to quit because I couldn't keep her focus on what she was suppose to be doing. Tonight, Kristi and I made her go outside and run since she couldn't seem to stand still and quiet down. This helped her run off some energy. I think she will miss this when she moves probably as much as she will miss Papa.

Papa and I started talking about some things we would like to do on the week-ends. One of the thing I would like to do is go hiking and taking pictures of nature. Tom loves to take nature pictures and I have gotten into hiking since I have lost so much weight. We have also talked about see some places in Missouri that we have never been to before - you know be a tourist in your own home state. We can take our lunch and just enjoy. Of course, some week-ends we will have Alayna, but I hope not every week-end. The only problem is that will be the only time that Tom will be able to see her for very long. So, we will have to come with a compromise.

Tomorrow (May 19th) Oma is going with the senior group to the Mennonite area. She is going to eat at a restaurant that is run by the Mennonites. She is really excited about it. Next month Oma talked me into going on a trip with her to Kansas City to see the play "Little House on the Prairie" with Melissa Gilbert playing Ma. We get dinner catered and then the play and of course the bus ride there and back. We are not suppose to be back in Columbia until 1 am, I won't be worth a lot the next day at work.

I have started working on some family history research on the Cohrt side. One of mom's cousins sent a letter asking questions and this started me looking again. I guess I will have to make a trip to Kansas City to the library. I have not been there in years, so I am not even sure what they have. Guess I better plan for a whole day for this.

Today we had excitement at work today. The old-beat up truck of one of the sales guy caught on fire in our parking lot. Why couldn't that have been the old truck we now have? When they told me a truck in the front parking lot - I asked "Is it mine?" No, I was disappointed, but guess it is for the best. He has a mess to deal with. Well, that is enough of an update - I think you will get the point that it is not quiet around here - at least for now. I will update on the quiet in a few weeks (after Kristi moves).

Good news for Oma today...breathe now!!

2010-05-12T19:46:00.002-05:00

I guess I should tell you the whole story...get a soda and have a seat.

About a month ago, Oma went in for her 3 month cancer check. She has to go every three months until he has been cancer free for 3 years (I think) and then it is every 6 months. I really don't see her going 6 months - but that is the plan. Anyway, her $2,000 urine test came back with bad cells in it, so she had to go today for a CAT scan of her lower body. We were kinda expecting the worst since Dr. Remis didn't want to wait - he made them put her with a week instead of waiting the 3 weeks for the next available appointment. She had to drink this yukky tasting stuff and drink at least 48 ounces of liquid before her appointment at 8 a.m. this morning.

We went to see Dr. Remis at 2:30 today and they put us in the same room we were in when he told her she had bladder cancer. This is the only time we have been in that room - and then today they put us back in that room. Not a good sign we commented!! When Dr. Remis walked in he asked why mom and I were both white as a sheet - we told him that we were afraid of what this room would hold in store for her. Well, the news is good - no tumors in her liver, pancreas, lower lungs, colon, stomach or kidneys. Her heart looked good and the aorta was working wonderfully and her hiatal hernia was not showing at all. So, all in all good news. He showed us the pictures of the "Bad cells" from her last urine tests and one from 3 months before and there is a noticeable difference. He said something has changed the shape of the cells, but he doesn't know what. Her DNA test came back negative today - so no cancer in her urinary tract is the way I understand it. He was very worried that she had developed kidney cancer but he said it appears that is not the case at this time.

He said that one thing that could have caused this test to show bad cells, is that she had the flu about 3 weeks before her test and her cells might still be showing that she wasn't totally over the flu. He said that is unusual - but when has the Fines family done anything that is usual!!!

She will have to go back in 3 months for another test - just to be on the safe side. He said if that one comes back bad, then we will talk about what to do next. But, she is in a better mood tonight and maybe this will help her outlook. I tell you, Tom and I were both ready to move in with Kristi!!!!

Also, I guess she is going to move upstairs now. She said if this came back as cancer, she would stay put in her apartment. This way she wouldn't have steps to worry with during any treatments.

I told her tonight that I was so happy with the results - and she told me that Dad, Gene, and Larry were not ready for her to break up their poker game. I told her that could be the case. I said that she has something that she hasn't done yet - like bungee jumping. She just game me a dirty look! Guess that is not it!

My computer came home! Yea.

2010-05-12T19:43:00.002-05:00

Seems that the motherboard and Father computer where not getting along, so they had to go to divorce court and get the mother board out of the picture and let Father computer flirt with a new motherboard and then seal the marriage. If this is too much for you, then here is the simple version - I fried the motherboard somehow!

So, now I can update my stuff easier and can play Spider Solitaire. I didn't mind using Tom's computer, but didn't want to do anything on it since I couldn't save the data. So, look out - here I come!!!!

Happy Mothers Day to all those great ladies out there.

2010-05-09T19:10:00.002-05:00

We had a really nice day here. I got up and we made a big breakfast. After that, I started on this new recipe for spaghetti and meat sauce. It takes 5 hours to cook this and took a lot of wine!!! My kinda spaghetti sauce. It was really good and I even have enough to make lasagna one night. I am so happy.

Alayna and I worked together to make a 12 X 12 scrapbook page for Kristi for Mother's day and one for Tom's mom. Alayna even signed the page to make sure it is special for each of them. Then we worked making flower pots out of old pop cans. We used pop cans, artificial flowers, and Alayna and I stamped the boarder for each can. But, I ran out of flowers so I have to go to town and get some more. They are so cute. I will post a picture when I get them all done.

Yesterday, Tom and I went to Columbia Photo and sold some our old camera equipment. With the credit we got we bought a lighting kit. We are going to take pictures of Alayna. We are not sure if we will like it, but want to try it first. What Tom really wanted was a new lens - but it is $1,600 so I don't think we will be getting that very soon!!

I hope everone had a wonderful day and enjoyed your mother's day.

5K Race

2010-05-09T18:58:00.002-05:00

On May 8th, I walked my 5K that I have been planning/training for. I did what I set out to do...finish the race...not in last place...and enjoy myself. Well, I did all of them. I finished 50 out of 97 in the walking portion of the race. I was 5th out of 9th in my age bracket, and 36 out of 79 females. So, all in all I think I did pretty well. I did my walk in 50 minutes, which was not bad since I walk 1.75 in 30 minutes.

While walking I was able to think about all of those who I love who have either died from cancer or currently battling cancer. There were times that I bust out laughing and other times that I shed a few tears. You really don't think about what your loved ones have missed on a daily basis - and then it hits you of all the things you have accomplished or completed since they have passed. It is almost mind blowing the things that are done all over the world each and every day.

So, in closing...I have another 5 K coming up in July and one in October. I am going to try to find some more because I really enjoyed walking and completing the task. Anyone want to join me??

Jay Dix 5K Walk tomorrow - 5.8.10

2010-05-07T20:05:00.005-05:00

I decided that I wanted to do this walk this year. This is the 3 year that I have signed up for this walk, but have not actually done the walk. One year I was having health issues and couldn't do it and last year life got in the way. This year I am going to do it - no matter what. I heard tonight that the wind chill is suppose to be in the 30's so I won't have to worry about getting overheated!

I have been walking and Wii-ing to get ready for this walk. I think I will do ok, but will find out tomorrow. I will probably be ok until I drive home. I tend to get stiff after I walk this far and by the time I get home I have "drop-feet" and look like I have had a stroke!

I will let you know how long it took me to finish the race...and if I lived through the 5K!!

Kansas Race

2010-05-03T19:42:00.003-05:00

Man, did we have fun at the Races this week-end. Tom and I both came home wind burnt from Saturday's race and sun burnt from Sunday's race. And, par for the course - it rained during the truck race. Last year it was so bad that we were in a tornado warning with sirens going off all around us. This year it wasn't as bad, but still an extra 90 minutes we didn't want to sit for. My tushie is still sore from 2 days of those bleachers. The races were great because it was a wreckfest and that is what makes racing fun!

Anyway, we had a nice time and got to go down onto the track this year for the Sunday race. Tom and I got to sign the start/finish line and go see all the trucks up close and personal. After a lot of picture taking - I headed back to our seats and Tom walked down pit road. We even saw a girl that Tom graduated High School with and talked with her and her husband.

While we were "Slaving" away at the race - Alayna was at Beth & Lucas' house enjoying playing with Brayden and Kolby. I asked her last night if she had fun - and she told me all about her day and what fun she had. What was funny was that she was telling me a story that she and Brayden were playing and she just knew that that "Brayden needed some quiet time to compose himself because he was just losing it, poor boy!" I loved it, kids come up with the cutest sayings.

Our next race is in October and we are planning on spending more time at the track. I can't wait.

Posting from Tom's computer

2010-05-03T19:33:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday I did my usual Wii workout and then proceeded to try to get some work done that I had brought home. I went to start my computer and nothing....dead....angels flying around...get the picture?? So, Friday we took it to Best Buy since it had a 3 year warranty and it hasn't been 3 years yet. The geek guy (ohhhh how I love to say that about a computer person, geek guy!) wasn't very optimistic that I would see that computer again. He said that if they decide to bury it - then I would get a new one. So, Tom told me that he wanted the 2nd hard drive (the one with my data on it) out of that computer to confirm that they won't delete everything on it.

They also told me that it would take 2-3 weeks (dang geeks!). So, I would use Tom's computer at night and then on the week-ends I will cry - or scrapbook!

Early May will be busy

2010-04-22T20:25:00.002-05:00

Tom and I finally decided that this year we would get season tickets to the races at Kansas Speedway. We always get tickets from a friend for the truck race but Tom really wanted to see the races in October when the big name drivers are there - the Sprint cup. So, I started checking on season tickets and we got them this week. So, next week-end we will be in Kansas City for both Saturday and Sunday. We have a hotel already paid for and are already making lists for what we need to take.

Then, the next week-end is Mother's day. On Saturday I have a 5K race to walk. I have lost 43 lbs now from my highest weight and am still dropping. I am not having as much knee pain and feel really good. I want to lose around 100 more pounds - not that I AM going to be able to lose that much weight I will keep on trying.

Then, of course we will be getting Kristi's stuff together and ready to go.

Kristi is moving - all cheer!!

2010-04-22T19:59:00.002-05:00

Yep, Kristi is moving out - and taking her mini me with her. At first Tom and I were not happy about the idea. Alayna has struggled with Tom working 2nd shift and we were really worried that this would be another downhill slide for her, but it was Kristi's decision not ours. Kristi did get an apartment that is in the school attendance area that Alayna currently attends. This is wonderful because this is a small school (only 350 kids compared to 600 in other schools) and the teachers are so wonderful.

Anyway, after further thinking I started to get excited about them moving out.

*Don't have to pick up Alayna every night.

*Don't have to fix supper every night. Can eat sauerkraut every night.

*Don't have to worry about who is in the shower in the morning.

*Can get rid of my "grocery getter" van and get a sports car (ok, I probably won't do this one)

There are a few others. I told mom that she could move into Kristi's "apartment" if she wanted to and then make her apartment into a sewing shack if she would like. This way she could spread out all she wants and not have to worry about cleaning up so we can eat dinner at the table. Our only worry is the stairs. She has issues with climbing stairs but we told her that it is her decision and we didn't care either way.

One thing that could happen if mom moves upstairs is that we can take her small sewing room off the laundry room and make a pantry out of it. It would be nice to have all of our food in one location instead of 4 different locations. But, we won't need as much food with only mom and I eating dinner most nights - so why do I need a pantry???????

Also, mom would enjoy having so much sewing shack. She would have 2 rooms to spread out in and be able to see all of her sewing stuff. Also, she would not have to walk over to the house in all kinds of weather.

Mom and I are going to get season tickets to 2 different plays here in town. We love going to these plays that are put on by local people. I might even join one of them who know!!

Either way...it is mom's decision.

We plan on staying here for another year at least. We didn't want to deal with trying to get Kristi out and us move right away. We need to figure out what is left here, what we need to get rid of, and what we can do without. We want to find a condo or smaller house. Our problem is that we really love living in the country and most houses or condo's are in neighborhoods.

But, KRISTI IS MOVING!!!!! YEA....Is it June 1st yet???

Guess I should update

2010-04-22T19:46:00.003-05:00

Hello all who read this. I guess it is time to update - that is if I can remember all that has happened in the not so distance future. We had a really nice visit with Tory, Eric and the girls and it was topped off with a mini family reunion. It was nice for mom to have a representive from all 4 of her children.... *Tory and family for Gene *Gail and the grandboys for Larry *David and Angie for Kris *And me!!! Ok, me and my family. Ok....me, my family and our cats!!! It was a wonderful day that memories are made of. We were sad to see Tory and Eric leave. We hope they come back really soon!

A visit from the Salisbury Family

2010-03-26T21:16:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, March 25 we were blessed with a visit from Tory, Sophie, and Bailey. We went to the airport in Columbia to pick her and the girls up and then we stopped a few places before we came home and enjoyed a nice home cooked meal. Alayna was with her mom going to see the Harlem Globetrotters so Sophie was a little lost, but she did a great job.

Today, we went to St. Louis to see Purina Farms. The girls had a blast seeing all of the farm animals. They really enjoyed being able to pet them and see them up close. Of course, the adults had a blast as well.

While at Purina Farms, Eric joined us and we soon left for downtown St. Louis to go the lunch at the Spaghetti Factory and then off to the arch, We were disappointed that we couldn't go to the top of the arch but we still enjoyed the visit to this monument.

Then we came home and had a nice steak dinner and now we are watching a movie.

Tomorrow we are having a big late birthday party for Oma and Brian. Not to mention enjoying the time with Tory, Eric and the kids.

The verdict is not in yet...

2010-02-23T20:32:00.002-06:00

As to the question if mom had a heart attack last night, he is not sure what really happened, but wants to get to the bottom of it either way. We went to the cardiologist today to check and he is sending her for a lot of tests. First one was this afternoon a ultrasound to determine if she had a blood clot in her leg that might have moved to her lungs. Then, Friday afternoon she will endure a chemical induced stress test. Depending on the outcome of these test the next one will be a month long monitor to see how her heart acts. If that doesn't work then a cardiac cath will be next. She woke up at 2 this morning with a crushing sensation in her chest and her heart going crazy with beats. Instead of calling me she decided to sit in her chair until it passed. I was fairly Stern with her that the next time SHE WILL CALL ME - no matter what time it is. This could be serious and she shouldn't wait. I wouldn't have known about it but I asked her this morning if she felt ok because she was dragging tushie and real groggy. That is when she told me.

the last week in our lives

2010-02-13T20:35:00.004-06:00

We have been busy this week. It started with last Saturday going to Independence to Brayden's 4th birthday party. I really can't believe that he is already 4 years old - I know that the next time I see him he will be graduating high school!!

This is the first time we have been back there since Larry died in September. I am not sure if it is because we have been busy or just digesting his death. It is still hard, I think of him a lot. I have a lot of pictures on my computer at work of him and every time I see one of those it makes me stop in my tracks and think about him. Alayna was a little upset about going into the house knowing Larry died - but once she saw Aunt Gail, all those feeling were gone. She greeted Gail with a big hug. Gail has done such a great job on the house. She has painted and moved stuff around. Something else that was a great change was that Rob and Tanya got to move down stairs to their own "apartment" of sorts. It is like what Kristi has here - her own "apartment" that allows her privacy while living at home.

We had a really nice time at Brayden's party and of course Alayna had a lot of fun playing with Brayden. They were laughing making good memories. We will be going back in a couple of weeks for Kolby's first birthday which will allow Alayna more Brayden time. I hope that it doesn't snow so that we can make it to see Kolby's milestone. While we were there, Lucas made these really cool BBQ wings and I had to go to Sam's to buy me some. We will be having these for dinner soon.

Tom is still on nights. I have to confess - I kinda like it now. I have the TV to myself and have become addicted to Wii Fit. I ride the bike, segway, do stepping, skiing, etc. I think there must be a 12 step program that I should be attending for this. I work out for at least 30 minutes - but have bumped it up to one hour most nights. I have lost over 5 lbs since we got it, which makes me happy. I have also lost my saddle bags on my thighs - which is also a plus. I want to keep going and lose more. Of course it doesn't hurt that we don't eat supper with Tom gone and this helps my weight loss. I may have a piece of cheese before bed, but that is it. Alayna is getting to like it as well, she can have all the mac and cheese she wants - 5 nights a week!

Kristi and Brian are in St. Louis right now at a hockey game. Kristi has become a big fan of hockey and this makes Brian really happy. They are also going to a game the end of March. I can't believe that someone would want to miss the Olympics for hockey.

The bar came home....

2010-02-13T20:23:00.002-06:00

I am so excited but the bar made a full circle I guess and came back home. For those of you that are confused (I am sure you are not Gail) but last week-end we went to my great-nephew - Brayden - birthday party. We stopped by my sister-in-law's house to see all the great work that she has done since September, when looking on her sewing room we saw the bar and was my dad's. This bar is a piece of furniture that the top slides and make a "bar" for you to make drinks. Dad had it stocked with glasses and liquor as I remember, but the glass holders have long since been taken off. I am not really sure when Larry and Gail got it, but they have taken really good care of it - it still looks new. Anyway, Gail asked if we wanted it back and I said yes, I will give it to Brian to store his video game cases in it. But, Brian didn't want it - so it is sitting in my house. Mom is going to use it to store her sewing supplies that she uses when she sews in the kitchen. I am so excited - the bar came home!!!

Another exciting week at the "Family Zoo"

2010-01-30T21:53:00.003-06:00

Well, it has been a wild week this last week here. It has been hectic at work with everything going on there. A girl in our office got laid off and now we are trying to re-group as a team of 3 instead of a team of 4. It is a learning curve for all 3 of us. Then Rebecca got sick with the flu and missed 3 days and one of those days my boss was on vacation so I was the Lone Ranger on Friday. I needed a drink around 10 am, but made it though the day without one. Of course the day started off with one of the employees getting hurt and had to go to the hospital. The afternoon was a lot quieter which helped me get some stuff done that I needed to. Next week is payroll week, so it is a really hectic week for me anyway.

Alayna had a so-so week at school. She is having a lot of trouble with paying attention. We are not sure what to do with her yet. We hoped that getting glasses would help because she would be able to see, but it only seemed to make her hyper even more. Of course it isn't helping that Papa is not here at night to help her along. He has a calming effect on her when she is having trouble.

We got the Wii fit about a week ago and we have been having a lot of fun with it. I have lost 4 lbs according to it. I do different stuff every night after supper. I have had to be careful because I pissed off my knee last Sunday and working out isn't helping matters. I am trying to deal with it without going to see my favorite ortho surgeon, but am not sure if this will work. I put ice on it every night after working out - and then cry on my way to bed because it hurts to walk.

Tom is dealing with his 2nd shift assignment pretty well. His supervisor said that he is doing a really good job except he analyzes stuff too much. Sometimes he needs to take things at face value instead of trying to figure out how everything works. I told Melvin "Good luck on changing that one - he has always done that."

Kristi is working hard on her school work. She is upstairs now working on it - or so she says. I really think she is watching TV!!!

Oma has been enjoying having evening with different foods. With Tom gone we can have eggplant pie, sauerkraut and polish sausage, salads, etc. All the food Tom doesn't like. That is probably why I am losing weight - not eating a big meal at night. One night Alayna cooked Hot dogs on the roaster that I brought home from work. She loved cooking for us. Tonight she made homemade pizzas for us and we Wii-Wii'd for about 3 hours. Had a blast. Now we are watching Monsters Inc in Blu-Ray.

I really don't know what is going on with Brian. Have not seen him in a long time. I am having Brian withdrawal. I will have to get my Brian fix soon or I might bust!!

Next Saturday we are going to Kansas City for Brayden's birthday party. I am so excited to see the Independence clan since we have not seen them since the first part of December. We went shopping tonight for Brayden's last present. I think he has 4 now from us and I don't know what Oma and Kristi are getting him. He must be special!!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

a week of nights...

2010-01-20T19:02:00.002-06:00

Well, it has been a week of Tom working on nights and I am not sure if it is getting any better. It is such an adjustment for all of us. This is the first time in about 20 years that he has worked nights and that was at Wal-Mart in the pet department when it was in Biscayne Mall. Now, for those of you who live in Columbia know that the mall is long gone and been replaced by a new strip mall. Anyhowmany, Tom is learning a lot of new things which will only help him in the future.

Alayna is coping with her favorite Papa being gone at night. My sister had a great idea (I know - my sister had a GREAT idea????). She suggested getting a tape recorder and he could read a book to her into the recorder and then she could get her story from Papa before bed. This way she could record something back to him before she goes to sleep. I think it is a great idea, so now I am going to have to look for one of them. Tonight she was using my phone and texting Papa while he was eating supper. She was sounding out the words and asking for a little help, but she was able to chat with him. She loved it.

I don't know if I told you but Kristi got a promotion at work and is now Account Payable Coordinator (I think that is the right title). With this great title came a little bit of money which isn't bad either! I am so glad that she likes her job. School is really kicking her butt this time. I think the break made her forget how night it was to do nothing at night. She had a great visit last week-end with her friends in West Plains. She and Alayna left on Friday and came back on Monday. Both of them were off for the day (must be nice).

Alayna got her first discipline report last week. She was playing with a rubber band instead of listening to the teacher. She also was screaming and yelling instead of using her listening ears. Kristi told her that this was her one free pass - next one is not going to be pretty so there better not be another one.

Oma has been busy making quilts for presents. She has this list and has been working on taking them off one at a time. This keeps her busy and she loves it since in the winter she doesn't get out much. Her shot seems to be working so far and I hope that it keeps working she is a lot easier to get a long with when she is not hurting.

I have been busy with work, it has been really crazy and stressful at work for me since we got back from our winter break. I can't go into detail but it is really been stressful and with Tom's change in hours that has not helped much.

I guess that is all for now. I am going to watch my DVR to clear out some of the recordings.

How is everyone else???

Back to work....

2010-01-13T19:48:00.006-06:00

We all went back to work and school on Jan 4 - I don't think that anyone was quite ready for it. Alayna has been asking everyday "It is a stay home day??" Of course it didn't help that she had 2 snow days the first week back. She did a great job for Oma - we were a little concerned about leaving her here with Oma, but they had fun. Made cookies and Oma even helped her practice her letters, numbers, etc.

As you can see in my previous post - things have been really crazy at work. I can't even go into details here on everything that is changing and how it impacts my job. It doesn't help that we are a couple weeks into a new year and all the "new year" files, etc that you have to do.

Mom had the shot in her back a couple of days ago and said that so far it is working. Hope this one works better than the last ones that she has had. They seem to last about 2 weeks and then the pain comes back. Today she went to Dr. Remis and he said that everything looks OK. Just waiting for a few test results to come back. We pray that the cancer is gone for good.

Kristi had her visit before Christmas (and before her emergency surgery) with her oncologist. So far it has not progress in either direction - so it is hurry up and wait for another 6 months. This is so hard on her, waiting for the other shoe to drop and having to have surgery but she is still too young and not married so they won't even consider it unless she goes downhill. Please keep her in your prayers.

I guess I had better go...I have some stuff to do before I go to bed. I really want to make sure I am up when Tom gets home from his first night - don't know if I will make it.

Well, the first night on nights....

2010-01-13T19:36:00.002-06:00

As you can see by my title that today is Tom's first night working nights in probably 20+ years. Don't get me wrong, he has stayed late at work, or been on trips for work, or ran into work to pick up stuff or change back-up tapes, etc - but....this is an everyday change at least for now. As of Jan 4, the job that he had at OTSCON was "eliminated" and he was re-assigned to 2nd shift stamping supervisor. Now, he has never done stamping or injection molding but is willing to try just to keep a roof over our head. Tom is a quick learner and is always up for a new challenge, but this came completely out of left field and he was not expecting it. So, now Tom's shift is 1-10pm everyday and a lot of Saturday's, and because he is salaried the Saturday's will be for free!!! Isn't he lucky!!

When Tom called tonight to talk to Alayna, she broke down and started sobbing. She wanted to go to were he was and get a hug. I had to explain to her that we couldn't run to see him every night but that he was working on being able to come home for dinner each night since we lived so close to work. It is so hard to explain to a 6 year old who adores her Papa over anyone else in this world.

I almost forgot to tell you...

2010-01-02T22:17:00.002-06:00

Kristi and Brian are in St. Louis right now at a Blues Hockey game. They got really good seats and went with some friends of theirs - Paul and Allie. Brian said that they were having fun with he called to check on Alayna. Isn't he a sweet Uncle to be concerned about his favorite niece??? I feel sorry for them having to walk to the car after the game, but hope the excitement from a win from the Blues will help them stay warm.

I think we are in a deep freeze...

2010-01-02T22:00:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it is this cold outside. We are at 10 degrees right now with the wind-chill -4. I have not ventured out of the house except to check the mail in a few days. I don't know what is going to happen when I have to go to work on Monday. Culture shock on several fronts....1). the cold, 2) I have to get up earlier then I have been, 3) I have payroll week coming up - my rough week.

Alayna lost 2 teeth this morning. We knew the one was ready to fall out, but was surprised when she came downstairs with two of them. I guess the tooth fairy will have to get a second job if they keep falling out in multiples. Alayna is so excited to see the tooth fairy. She wants to stay awake to give her a hug, but I told her that the tooth fairy waits and if she doesn't go to sleep then the tooth fairy will go to the next house.

Right now Tom, Alayna, and I are playing Wii. We are trying to wear Alayna out and I think we are getting close since it is after 10. I really like the Wii because it brings together the family and gets us up off our tushes and moving. We have a lot of fun with it. When we were at Tom's parents house they had a game that involved racing cows. They had a blast with it. I guess we are going to have to buy it. I want to buy a fairy one for Alayna.

About my scrapbook saga. If I got paid $100 for each page I have completed since I have been off I would be getting about $3,000 right now. I have done 30 pages and I still have 70 to go to make my goal of 100 pages before I go back to work. I don't see that happening since I only have one more day before I go back to work.

Mom has been searching all the recipes that we have to find at least one new recipe a week - a resolution that mom and I made together. We are tired of the same old stand-bys, so we are looking for something new. I am not sure how the family will take this new adventure, but we are looking for anything that will help.

I better close and head towards bed. I slept for 11 hours straight last night - totally our of character for me. I usually am awake by 6, but not this morning. I don't know what got into me. I think Monday will come way too fast!

What a week...

2009-12-31T09:27:00.004-06:00

Well, here we are at the last day of 2009, I still can't figure out where the year went. Like I said on Facebook - some of the year was good and some bad but I am ready for a new start so to speak with 2010. I just don't see it happening!!! We had one heck of a week this week. My last day of work for 2009 was December 23 and I have to go back on January 4. I was sooooo looking forward to scrapbooking everyday to catch-up on my backlog but have only done 6 of the 100 page goal that I had set for myself. Of course, it is a lot more difficult to scrapbook with a 6 year old assistant!! She has started to go to my scrapbook area by herself to "scrapbook" on her own. She is doing a good job, but I worry about what she is using - some scrapbook stuff is expensive and I bought it with a page in mind so I really don't want her using it for play. At least when I die, I know who to leave my scrapbook stuff to since Kristi doesn't like to scrapbook. She got a scrapbook kit for Christmas and we are going to spend one day working with her on her own scrapbook. We have several zoo pictures and some other that I was going to let her have. She is so excited about it. We are going to make a few cards as well. Kristi is feeling better now that the stint has been removed. The doctors appointment went well and the stint was a lot longer then I anticipated. I was expecting about a 2 inch stint and it was more like 12 inches. He kept pulling and pulling to get it out. Dr. Remis told Kristi that it would take about a month to get the stone report back (they must have sent it to a 3rd world country!!) and then he would give her more instructions. Until then, he told her to drink a lot of water and rest. After Kristi's doctors appointment we had to stop at my work to get my paycheck. I ran in and when I came back out, the van wouldn't start. It was suppose to go to the shop for the back door struts replacement, but now it was going to more. I called AAA to get it towed since we couldn't get it started and the tow-truck driver did a couple of things and with help from the tow truck got it started. He said go straight to the Chrysler dealer - don't turn anything on like the heater or radio and don't turn it off! Luckily, Tom was at work so we had another car at our disposal to drive. It has been 2 days and the van is STILL in the shop. They said that one of our issues was the battery, which we went and bought. But, Tom gave them a list of about 10 items he wanted fixed. I don't think I will see my van for another year!!! After I got home, Brian called and wanted my Sam's card to go shopping, so I left to meet him at Sam's and he called - he had locked his keys in his apartment and needed me to come by and let him in!! What a day this had been. We went to Sam's and then I headed home to go to bed, I was afraid of what else was going to go wrong!! Yesterday, I went to the grocery store and then was a little fairy - I went to Brian's apartment and made him some Chili in the crock-pot and made his spare bed up for him. I told him that I wanted to get a special mattress pad on the spare bed since he bought it from a stranger and it looked like it has been USED a lot. Since I was the one who told him to wait, I decided I would make the bed for him. He called when he got home and said that he had a reverse break-in. Someone broke into his apartment and fixed him supper and made the bed. I asked if he was going to call the Police, and he said heck no - I want them to do this again. I guess I need to look for some more good crock-pot recipes and do this again. Tonight is New Years Eve and we are not planning on doing anything. Kristi and Tom have sinus infections and don't feel good. Our dinner tonight is going to be homemade Chicken noodle soup. What a good meal for the last day of the year!

Merry Christmas to All...

2009-12-25T07:08:00.004-06:00

We finally made it to Christmas, I still can't believe that it is Christmas day. I don't know where time as went. I was really terrible this year because I didn't get anything for the kids (my kids) and only a couple of things for Alayna. I just couldn't get the time to get anything. We really had decided that we would adopt a family instead of buying presents for each other. This turned out to be a $1,200 Christmas. I would have spent less on my own kids. But, the joy of giving to others made it nice. I am sure they are happy this morning as well as we are.

This week - up to Christmas has been hell for Kristi. She started on Saturday feeling bad. About noon, she came and asked if Kidney stones would make you want to cry - which Tom answered yes. Kristi said I think that is my problem. She tried everything but the pain would not ease up, so at 12:30 on Sunday morning Tom and Kristi were off to the emergency room since she was in extreme pain. After a cat scan to confirm the stone and several bags of fluid and medicine they sent her home at 5:30. Of course, Tom and Kristi slept most of the morning in which I teased them that the were too old to stay out all night like that.

Sunday was not a better day with the pain, but Kristi was dealing with it the best she could. Since she can't take narcotics she is really limited on pain medicine. She called the hospital and they were not much help, they just told her to keep drinking - which she did but it wasn't coming out the other end as needed.

So, on Monday she tried in vain to get an appointment with a urologist but with it being Christmas week they didn't have any openings. So, about noon she and Tom headed back to the emergency room for help. After much arguing they decided to call the urologist on call and have him check her. Well, that happened to be the same doctor that sees mom and I, so we were very pleased that she could get with him. He said that there is something wrong and she needed to have emergency surgery.

So, at 5 pm Kristi headed into surgery to have the stone removed. Dr. Remis was glad he did that since the stone was sideways in the tube from the right kidney to the bladder. It was plugged by the stone. He said that when he removed the stone he got flooded! He said that there was only a 20% chance that she would have passed it on her own and it would have been very painful. Surgery took an hour because he put a stint in the tube to keep it open and reduce the swelling. Now, the stint is hurting her, but it comes out on Tuesday.

We were back home by 7:30 with a very hungry girl. She had not eaten since Friday night, so she was ready to eat. We are thankful that Dr. Remis was on call and Kristi got a great doctor to take care of her.

Alayna has been really good this week, but bribing her with Santa helped. What are we going to do next week? She is really bored not going to school and next week we are going to work on her kindergarten workbook so she doesn't forget all that she has learned. She is so excited right now waiting for Bubby to wake up so she can open her presents. We told her she has to wait for him and she is going crazy!!!

Brian had to go into work yesterday for an emergency call. Since it was a paid holiday he got double time and a half. So, he made a good amount of money for his almost 4 hours on the call. He has to work tomorrow for his regular Saturday on call. He is not looking forward to that.

Oma has been enjoying all the activity going on around her. She is just trying to stay out of everyone way while they run like crazy!! She is very excited about going to David and Angie's tonight for Christmas dinner. We have not done this in a long time and we are all ready to go. We are making some good food to go with David's good food...yum yum.

Tom was off this week to keep Alayna while Kristi worked, but instead he spent the week keeping Kristi while Alayna played!! He had his hands full taking her to and from the hospital and convincing them that he was really her father!!!

I am off next week to keep Alayna. My plan is to scrapbook 10 pages a day while I am off. This means that I should have 100+ pages done by the time I go back to work. Well, I have been off for 2 days now and have not touched anything - so I am already 20 pages behind. Of course, this will be a difficult task complete since I have a 6 year old that LOVES to scrapbook. Stay tuned for the final tally of completed pages.

It's Kristi.....

2009-12-07T10:53:00.002-06:00

Since it's taken Mom so long to update her blog, I guess I'll do it for her. You snooze, you lose! We have been extremely busy the last couple of weeks, which is probably part of the reason that Mom hasn't had a chance to update recently. We've been fighting being sick and this past week was full of owies. Monday, Oma tried to sew her finger and had to go to the emergency room to have the tip of the needle that broke off in her finger removed. After much digging by the plastic surgeon, they were able to remove a quarter inch piece of needle from her finger. It's bruised and sore, but Oma seems to be doing quite well. Also on Monday, I decided that I forgot how to walk and ended up falling down some stairs at work. My feet somehow came out from underneath me and I landed butt first on the stairs. I am still in quite a bit of pain and think I am going to have to break down and go to the doctor. I have been putting that off since I don't think there is much they can do for me. Again on Monday, Mom had a spot removed by the dermatologist and has some stitches to be removed. We were all hurting Monday night, so I am sure you can see what dinner was like Monday night. Brian went to Kansas City this weekend, but ended up getting plagued with a horrible migraine. After stopping several times on the way home, he finally made it safely Saturday evening. Dad ended up getting some sort of bug on Saturday and spend some of the day in bed. Alayna was the only one out of us all who didn't have anything major happen. **knocking on wood** It turns out she makes a really good nurse. Alayna and I had experienced a first together in the latter part of November. We, along with Oma and Aunt Kris, went on our first train trip. It was exciting and a lot of fun. We left from Jeff City and went to St. Louis for the weekend. We stayed at the hotel connected to Union Station, so that made things much easier. Union Station wasn't as big or full as we expected it to be, so we took the day Sunday to explore St. Louis a little. We rode on the Metro all over the city and even took a side trip to the arch. We couldn't have asked for better weather to do all of this, it was absolutely gorgeous. I highly recommend doing this if you just have a weekend that you want to get away. Alayna is doing very well in kindergarten. She loves her teacher and is learning things that I don't remember touching on until first or second grade. She has a list of around 50 words such as "like", "and", "but", and so on that she has to know how to say, read, spell, and write by the end of this year. We are working with those quite a bit. She's learning to add, match, and separate in her math class. It's amazing to see her mind soak all of this in. She came home with a letter from the school nurse a while ago requesting that we have her eyes tested again, so we went this past Saturday to do that. They have to have their eyes tested before they can start kindergarten, so we had already done that in May, but the school felt there was a need to test her again. Good thing. In the past six months, her eyes have gone from a .25 to a .75 and have gained curvature. In other words, she is going to be as blind as her momma. We got her some glasses and hopefully they will be here in the next week or so. She is very excited about having to wear them, but I have a feeling that is going to wear off rather quickly. I have had a lot of ups and downs recently. Work is going good. I was told recently that there is a possibility that I am going to get a promotion, so that's been pretty exciting. School has been great this session. I took two online classes, but I made sure they were not difficult classes due to the holiday. They've both proven to be very easy to handle. I have finals this week and feel really good about both of them. Otherwise, I have been struggling a lot recently. For some reason, my emotions are all over the place. My next appointment with the oncologist is next week, so I am going to speak with her about that when I go. I don't know if it's a hormonal thing or if it's just me. I guess that's all for now. If I don't get to see or speak with you before the holiday, I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas and New Years. Lots of Love, Kristi

Ok, who has the remote to my life?

2009-11-03T19:23:00.003-06:00

I have said for years that I know someone has a remote that controls my life and has either accidentally or on purpose put it on fast-forward. Well, who ever has it needs to stop it!!!! I am so tired of running all of the time. It seems that our family just can't slow down and I would really like to "stop and smell the roses" and take a break. So who is going to confess to having my remote??? Huh, come on...time to confess!!!

In the last 2 weeks we have just run like crazy. It is to the point where I depend on my phone to get me to where I need to be on time. So many different appointments, work issues, home issues, and other stuff - if it is not in my phone more than likely I won't be there on time or at all.

Alayna had a fun day in Independence with Beth and the boys. She came home exhausted. In the middle of the night she woke up with an upset stomach and ended up throwing up and had a fever of 103. Well, she ended up missing an entire week of school because she had to be fever free for at least 24 hours but they really wanted 48 hours to be sure she was totally well. We could get her fever free for 12 hours but not 24. She went back to school the next week, but was sent home on Friday with another fever. We really didn't think she was 100% over her flu when she went back but she was fever free for the 48 hours but this flu totally wiped her out. Alayna has grown so much since she started school. Some of the conversations that she starts are really interesting. She sounds so grown up some of the time. Also, in school she is in kindergarten and is learning math concepts such as geometry and stuff that my kids didn't learn until later in the school career.

Alayna was a princess for Halloween and had a lot of fun, but it was almost more than she could handle because she was send home on the day before. We ended up going to Aunt Kris and Uncle Owens because Owen always has a special present for her. We also went to Boonville to trick or treat in Granny and Grandpapa's subdivision. She only went to about 10 houses total, but ended up with a punkin full of candy.

Oma is doing well after she surgery. It took about a week to fully get over the surgery and to get all of the drugs out of her system. She got to drive 10 days after surgery and was ready by then. She got her staples out and is now itching from the healing process. She is still sore, but is already thinking about sewing again so I know she is feeling better.

Alayna was so sweet and decided that she didn't want to be the only one suffering from the flu so she gave it to her mommy. Wasn't that sweet of her???? Kristi spent 3 solid days in bed with a fever and body aches. On Saturday she was up to going to check out a bedroom set for Alayna and ended up buying one after about 4 hours of shopping. This is Alayna's Christmas present but she already has it set up in her room. On Sunday, I took Alayna to Wal-Mart and let her pick any set of sheets that she wanted and she picked Barbie to go on her new bed. It has a trundle unit so Alayna is ready for Brayden to come and spend the night again since she has a bed for him. But, back to Kristi... this week she is playing catch-up for skipping school last week.

Kristi's birthday is officially Saturday, November 7th and she has a busy week-end planned. On Friday night a whole bunch of people are going to Kobe's for dinner to celebrate. I think this will be a lot of fun - I am looking forward to it. Then on Saturday, Kristi has 4 tickets to the MU game. Her friends from West Plains are coming up to go with her and Alayna. They are going to tailgate and then off to the game. After the game they are going out to dinner. On Sunday, we are going to have a big breakfast for Lacey and Kevin before they head home to West Plains. Lacey is pregnant and due in December so Kristi and I are going to make a baby cake for her to take home.

Tom and I are just really busy with work and house stuff. We have had several different appointments that we have had to go to and this will be going on for several more months. Not to mention, I have had one dentist appointment and have several more to go thanks to needing 2 root canals and 2 crowns. I really think I will have to have one of my wisdom teeth pulled since I am still in a lot of pain even on the antibiotic and pain killers he has me on. I am terrified of dentists and it takes all I can muster to stay in the chair, but I am in so much pain that I can't sleep at night so I am ready to sit in the chair right now! So, that means that I must be in pain.

Tomorrow night I am going to a Clint Black concert. I got this ticket about 3 months ago and ended up with a front row seat. I am not a HUGE Clint Black fan, but decided that I liked his older music well enough to pay the price for the ticket and go. I am going by myself just like I did when Olivia Newton-John was here in concert. I don't mind - I will be in my own little world (and yes, the concert time is in my phone to remind me to go!).

Well, I guess that is enough for now...it is about time for another pain pill and then off to bed.

Last few days in review

2009-10-19T20:08:00.002-05:00

I guess people and objects do get sick after visiting the hospital. While mom was there I had to go to my doctors appointment (more about that later) and came back to mom's room and my computer had died. It plays taps when I try to turn it on. I paid for geek squad to fix it for 3 years and I guess they will be doing their job now since my two geeks can't fix it. That is why I have not updated in the last couple of days because I can't get Tom's computer. He is very protective of his toy.

About mom...she finally hatched an escape plan for Saturday. On Friday, she said that she wanted to stay one more day to gain a little more strength, but wanted me up there bright and early on Saturday. Well, I had to stop at the bank, Wal-Mart for groceries, and staples for other stuff. So, I left home about 7 and arrived at the hospital about 10. I still had the groceries so I could only stay for about an hour. The doctor still had not released her so I came home to put the groceries away and Tom stopped and picked her up on his way back from taking foliage pictures. She is doing a lot better this time then she did with her last surgery. She is sore, but is able to move around and do a lot more. She can't bend over because she has about a 12" scar with a lot of staples in it, but is catching up on her sleep and watching her soap operas.

On Saturday, Kristi and Alayna went to Kansas City to spend some time with Beth and the boys. Alayna and Brayden were having withdrawl from each other so they needed some cousin bonding time. They went to several places and then Tanya took Brayden and Alayna to another place. Sorry, I don't know all the names - I just know they had fun.

But...you have to pay for fun sometimes and Alayna is paying a rather big price. On Sunday morning she woke up about 3 and threw up in her bed. Kristi cleaned up the mess and calmed her down. We just thought it was a result of a very busy day without a nap - but with a temp of 103 we were afraid of the flu. It is now Monday, and her fever is down a tad, but she has no energy and is not eating . We are not pushing food on her - just feeding her if she asks. She threw up again this morning, but that seem to break the fever - so maybe we are on the downhill slide. We are concerned about mom getting sick now since Alayna is so generous and I am sure is going to pass this around. This is the last thing that mom needs after major surgery.

On the 15th, I had a doctors appointment that mom made me promise to keep if she made it through surgery ok. So, at 3 I was at my doctors appointment while mom sleep her medicine off. This appointment was for my yearly bladder check to make sure I have not developed bladder cancer. I thought all he would do was look in my bladder - WRONG! He saw the same mass I had a year ago had grown so he wanted to do another biopsy. You do this with a full bladder thanks to the fluid the poor in your bladder (reverse Cather) and then he uses these tongs and pulls - REALLY HARD until you scream! He got a rather large section and was pleased. He also said that because the mass was larger he wanted to do a test on my urine called a FISH test. It determines your risk and if you have have bladder cancer the stage. I won't get the results for about a week or so. I left that office bleeding very badly and hurting like heck. I stopped at every bathroom on my walk back across the "bridge" to the hospital to mom's room. Kristi took off when she found out they were going to do the biopsy and sent me packing. I came home and took my pain medicine and died!! I feel better today, just anxious to hear what the results are. Oh, I forgot to add that the FISH test cost $2,000 that we are not sure if the insurace will pay. I told them to do it anyway, who needed to pay car payments, groceries, or the light bill anyway!!

Kristi started her on-line classes today, and it helped that she had to stay home with a sick girl. While Alayna was asleep Kristi was doing her homework. Kristi was also a great help today making sure Oma had something to eat and drink and was ok. I was worried about her being at home by herself, maybe that is why Alayna got sick so someone could take care of them both!! Tomorrow Tom is going to stay home. Not sure about Wednesday.

Mom's surgery

2009-10-15T10:44:00.002-05:00

Mom entered the hospital this morning and had her surgery already. It took about 90 minutes to complete the surgery. The doctor said that she probably "popped" a stitch sometime ago and thus allowed her colon to have a place to go. He said about 4" of her colon and made it's way behind the mess and that was causing her problems. He is now concerned that he might have made the mess too tight around the opening and this could restrict her urine output, so they are keeping her until she can fill her bag on her own. He put a catheter in to keep it open until the swelling goes down. I don't have a room number yet as she is still in recovery and will be there until she wakes up - and for those of you who know our family that could be days from now!!!

Offical birthday dinner...

2009-10-09T20:03:00.002-05:00

I have had a lot of free meals this week in preparation for my actual birthday on Tuesday. I got several coupons for free meals in the mail and Tom and I have been enjoying them. Today we went to lunch at Longhorn with Kris, David, Angie, Oma, and Tom. But, the real dinner and show was tonight at Kobe Japanese Restaurant. It was so neat and we all really enjoyed the show that the chef put on for us and the food was wonderful. I loved the vegetables, but I love vegs.

We decided to do dinner tonight since Mom was suppose to have her surgery on Monday. She has to be on a light diet for as couple of days before surgery so we thought we had better do it tonight. But, the hospital had to reschedule her surgery yet again (for the 3rd time) so we could have done it on on Sunday.

I only wanted two things for my birthday this year - dinner at Kobe and Brian to download some movies to my ITunes account (I can't do it here with satellite Internet - too slow). I am not really picky am I??

We are still alive...

2009-10-03T11:06:00.002-05:00

It is bad when people start calling you to see if you are ok because it has been almost 2 months since I updated last. So much has happened in the last two months that I just have not had time to sit down and update. Sometimes I think my life is in fast forward and I can't find the remote to slow it down.

Let see...what has been going on??? Well, we had a sad event that happened a month ago. My brother Larry died on Sept 2 - the day before my dad's death anniversary of Sept 3 (1986). I have so many memories of Larry because he lived close to us most of the time. My brother Gene moved to AZ when I was little - maybe he was trying to run away from me!!! Anyway, about Larry. I was thinking about him yesterday and was thinking of all the things that remind me of him. He was such an inspiration to all and he will be missed. Mom is taking his death really well compared to Gene's death. I thought she would take this one harder because we saw Larry so much more than she did Gene, but she has done better than the rest of us. Alayna still questions Larry's death. It is hard for kids to understand but she was talking about all the funny things Larry did with her - I am surprised at what she remembers.

We have all been busy preparing for Tom's parents 50th anniversary celebration which is happening on October 4, 2009. We have to go to Boonville today (October 3) to set up the church and tomorrow is the party. I know I have spent a lot of money on this - I will have a total next week. We have been keeping the receipts to see what was spent. It is well worth it since this is a milestone that not many make it to. With Carl and Janice both having major health issues (cancer) and major car accidents which involved several surgeries and long rehab stays shows that God had a plan for them.

Brian moved into an apartment by himself last week-end. He needed to get out on his own. I am sure he is going to be happier. If there is a mess, then he made it!! He was getting tired of cleaning up after everyone else and having to stay in his bedroom because they were having a party on a week-night. His apartment is really nice and just right for him. This last Tuesday, I went over and fixed him supper while waiting on the guy to fix his dryer. It was good for us to have mommy/son time. We watched a funny movie and had a blast.

Alayna started kindergarten at Two-Mile prairie school in August. She handled the adjustment a lot better then we thought she would. She has a wonderful teacher who I have known for years. She didn't realize that Alayna was mine until the first day of school. She is taking her lunch most days because she can decide what she wants. She could be a vegetarian so easily since she eats all kinds of vegs, beans, cheese, eggs, fruit. She does not like sweets or potatoes, or bread. Such a strange thing for a child! She doesn't like eating at fast food places because they don't have vegetables.

Kristi is busy with school and work. This session has really kicked her butt. The history teacher is not very good, you can see this because over half of the class got a C or lower on the midterm. Only one more week sissy and you will get to a better class. We were saddened to hear that a professor that I loved when I attended Columbia College died unexpectedly a few weeks ago. Mr. Metscher had worked at Columbia College for over 35 years and was wonderful.

Mom is doing ok. Is going to have colon surgery on October 12. Near her stoma (from her cancer surgery) her colon is coming out - similar to another hernia. This surgery will be worse than the last hernia surgery since she will have to actually be cut around her stoma - about 8- 10 inches minimum. She was scheduled for surgery a week ago but has a terrible infection on her skin that has to be healed because that is where they are going to cut. Yesterday she had a car accident and is worried about her car being totalled. I told her if it is we will buy it back and keep it. It was her mother's day gift a few years ago and she doesn't want a car with a payment. BTW - she is ok, didn't get hurt in the accident.

Tom is doing well, just really stressed about work. Some changes have happened and he is not happy about them. He is just rolling with the flow. Had his yearly prostrate check and his number dropped - YEA!!! With his dad having prostrate cancer this is a big concern with him.

I guess I better close...too much information can be harmful to your health~~~~

Busy Week-end

2009-08-09T20:36:00.002-05:00

This last weekend, my nephew Scott got married. We told Beth that we would keep the boys so that she could enjoy the rehearsal dinner. We love having the boys around for 2 reasons...we get to have them all to our selves and Brayden and Alayna are the best of friends and play so good together. Brayden got off to a rough start but came around and had a great time. We had a blast with Kolby. He smiles at the funniest things and this made it even more fun.

Let's back up to Thursday - we went to the mall to check on a dress for Alayna and ended up seeing my brother and sister-in-law at the mall. Then I ran into a store to see if they had a different shirt for the wedding and ran into my mother-in-law. It was like a mini family reunion all over again!!

Now, onto Saturday...I went back to the mall to take back the shirt that I bought then we had to get ready for the wedding which was at 4:30. We made it in time and it was a wonderful service. The officiator was wonderful this made the service really nice. After the family pictures, we went to reception at Senior Hall on Stephens College Campus. After dinner there was a lot of dancing which Alayna LOVED!!!! She danced with anyone who would go out on the floor with her. We had a really nice night.

Today, we went to Finger Lakes to have a baby shower for the California couple (soon to be family). Then we had a nice picnic and back home. We knew Alayna was getting really tired so we headed home - not to mention that the temperature outside was getting way to hot be enjoy being outside.

We got home, Alayna took a shower and then slept for over 5 hours. I knew that dancing and party would catch up with her sooner or later!! We had something for supper that she has been asking for - for a long time...Meatballs. She ate a lot and is now upstairs with her mom watching a movie.

2009-08-09T20:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Alayna...6 Years Old

2009-07-26T20:26:00.002-05:00

Alayna actually turned 6 on July 23rd, but we really didn't make a big deal out of it. We did go to dinner and she had a party with her school friends but she didn't open any presents because we were having a big party on July 25th. I couldn't believe that she was so patient and waited without asking to open anything even though her presents were on the table in plain sight.

Yesterday was the day of her parties. It started with a party at Flipz (a gym) with 10 of her friends. It was great because we had the entire place all to ourselves and the kids could run and play without the parents having to worry about anyone else. We knew all the kids were with our party. After playtime we had lunch and then we came home.

Once home we had seveal more people come over (18 total) and had a BBQ for dinner after having cake and ice cream in the middle of the afternoon followed by finally opening presents. Alayna wanted books for her birthday this year because she really enjoys reading stories to us. She also got some cooking items - mainly a Easy Bake Oven. She can't wait to make cakes for us. I am not sure if I am ready for this!!!

We had a great time yesterday. Our next great adventure is starting kindergarten in about a month. I am not sure if I am ready for this either.

Coming up in the world...

2009-07-26T20:19:00.002-05:00

Well, we decided a couple of months ago to switch from US Cellular to ATT. The kids wanted IPhones and since US Cellular takes years to get the new phones that are on the market we went ahead and started the switch. Brian, Kristi, and I all switched and then about 2 weeks ago I sold Tom's phone while he was still using it - so he had to switch. Now, I have to switch mom and will do that this next month. Then...I decided to call about getting a DVR on our satellite. I found out that we would save money if we switched, so we did that about a week ago. However, this has been a hassle since Kristi's DVR isn't working right and the dual DVR in our living room decided today to act up. So, I think I know now why they said I would save money - cause I can't watch TV!! I also joined Facebook and Twitter...so now I am really connected!!

Almost forgot...fishing with Uncle Owen

2009-07-11T20:32:00.002-05:00

Alayna wanted to go fishing all day - that is what she kept asking "Is it time to go fishing yet?" Once Owen said lets go, she got her stuff and was ready. And look what she caught!!!

Alayna Graduation Party

2009-07-11T20:03:00.003-05:00

One of the family's in Alayna's pre-school had a graduation party for the kids today to celebrate their time at the Academy. All of the kids are starting to leave the school in preparation for kindergarten (starts in about a month). I can't believe that she is getting ready for real school. Where does time go?? It was soooooo hot for this BBQ. Alayna's face was so red and she kept saying "Grandma, I am so hot" but that didn't stop her from enjoying the bounce house and swing set. She didn't eat, but we didn't force her since we didn't want her throwing up!

When we got home we were ready for cold showers and rest time. Tonight, after watching an old Lion King movie and playing on the Wii she laid down on the couch and so BB laid down with her. That was it, they were both asleep quickly.

Ruby-Throad Humming Bird

2009-07-11T19:59:00.000-05:00

Tom is getting really good at taking pictures of birds.

2009-07-11T19:42:00.002-05:00

This is some kind of rare bird that never comes out of the woods. It eats insects and doesn't like open spaces according to the bird expert at that bird store that mom goes to!! Some kind of Warbler or something like that. I am not a bird person - they leave too many poo marks on my cars but mom and Tom are really excited about seeing this and so was the bird expert.

2 trips to Kansas City...

2009-07-11T19:23:00.002-05:00

On July 3rd, Tom and I went to Overland Park, Kansas to see a good friend who was recently diagnosed with cancer. We have know Mary since 1983 and she is like a 2nd mom to us. She is Terri's mom (Terri and Daryl from Denver that I am always talking about). This cancer diagnosis was a total surprise and the doctors give her less than 3 months to live. We wanted to see her and spend some time with her.

Brian was already in Kansas City visiting his friend, Paul and they were going to a see Transformers in the IMAX theatre in Olathe, Kansas so we met them there for a movie. I didn't want to see that movie so I picked Proposal to see. The only theatre was $10 extra for the "Cinema Suites." You paid $10 more but that is for a food voucher. I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. These suites only have 36 RECLINERS in the theatre and you are waited on like a restaurant. I really enjoyed this experience and am now going to have a real hard time going to a regular movie theatre. I was spoiled!!! And the movie was good too!

On Sunday, Kristi wanted to go see Mary one last time since they are moving her to Denver to live with Terri. I don't mind giving up my bedroom at Terri's house for her. So, Alayna, Tom, Kristi, and I went back to Kansas City and spent about 2 hours with Mary, Terri, Courtney (Terri's daughter) and Kane (Courtney's son). We were all laughing and talking like the good old days.

After the hospital, we went to the movie. Kristi and I went to the Suites again and Tom and Alayna went to a "Fork and Screen" showing of Ice Age. They paid $5.00 per ticket more and got the wait staff but no recliners. A recliner is worth the extra $5.00 each.

We had a busy week-end and a hectic week and work. I am so glad it is a quiet week-end this week-end. I am too old for all of this stuff!!!

4th of July at Kris' Campground

2009-07-11T19:09:00.002-05:00

We were invited for a family gathering at Kris' campground in Monroe City for July 4th week-end. Kristi, Oma, and Alayna went up on Friday and spent the night in a motel - NOW THAT IS CAMPING!!! They had a lot of fun. Kristi, Alayna, and Aunt Kris went to Hannibal and met Aunt Gail so they could walk around the craft festival they were having. Mom and Uncle Larry stayed behind. Kristi said they had BBQ chicken for supper and she said it was really good. They had fun shooting off fireworks after dark. On Saturday, Tom and I went up to join them for a short time then Kristi came back home because someone had to take care of the cats and Kristi really needed to write a paper for one of her classes. We visited for a while, had lunch and then we headed back to the hotel to unload the van and let Alayna take a nap. We had burgers and brats for dinner and then Tom got his exercise shooting fireworks off for us. I really enjoyed all the other fireworks that were going off around us. On Sunday morning we left and came home really early. Tom, Krist, Alayna, and I had to run to Kansas City and Oma wanted to rest. Great week-end.